


i carry your heart with me

by buttermuffins



Series: for keeps [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: All The Tropes, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Blood Curses | Blood Malediction (Harry Potter), Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Draco Malfoy Redemption, Draco is a giant baby, Explicit Hugging, F/M, Isekai, LGBTQ Themes, More fluff than angst, Romance, Snark, body switching, i am a total trash panda, teenage idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:40:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 110,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27145361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buttermuffins/pseuds/buttermuffins
Summary: After a terrible night at the Warner Bros. Studio lot, Ari Greer wakes up in the body of fourth year Slytherin student Astoria Greengrass. Thinking she has been sent there to save Harry Potter, she does her best to navigate the world she has found herself in. The last thing she expected was to fall in love.*Set during the events of Harry Potter and The Goblet of FireExcerpt:Of course, it had to be him. Of course, he would ruin it.“I would appreciate it if this didn’t make its way around the common room.”“It will be another little secret of ours, Greengrass,” his smirk widening across his stupidly attractive features. She almost thought he was grinning.
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Series: for keeps [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149176
Comments: 145
Kudos: 84





	1. The Butterbeer

Her hand idly etched into the condensation in the plastic glass, realizing how terrible butterbeer tastes. Of course, it would taste like an over-sweetened cream soda. Of course, sitting in a cafeteria surrounded by children and their beleaguered parents would be a pale imitation of the original. Of course, every time she swiped down at her phone there would be no notification waiting. Of course, she was stupid to even come, to hope that he be here. With her.

_Why are you even here, Ari. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

_You are an idiot to think he would come. And now you’re talking to yourself in the second person._

She thought that maybe this date would mean something, that maybe he would care enough that this was their anniversary and they had been planning to go to London and the Warner Bros. Studio lot for a year. _Before he -- oh no, don’t think about it._

When they met, his startlingly green eyes were an exact match for what she had pictured her scarred hero to have. After their first date, he noticed that there was a dog-eared copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire peeking out of her bookbag and instead of rolling his eyes or having some snippy remark, he had smiled. 

It was her favorite, she had told him. When he had responded with a long-winded commentary on how Pottermore had ruined patronuses forever, “…I mean, who would get a squirrel for a patronus,” she was internally kicking herself for how lucky she was to find herself in a coffeeshop with this man. 

_Before_ \-- she couldn’t stop herself now -- _before the fights. The fight._ Where his jade eyes turned cold and he said he was done, that he couldn’t do this anymore. 

Fighting back tears, she downed another swig, and immediately tried to suppress the grimace that was fighting its way across her face. In a far doorway, a pair of dark eyes found hers. Jake? No of course not, it couldn’t be Jake. He sharply sized her up, a spray bottle and rag in his hand. _Oh great, now a custodian can even tell you’re having a meltdown in the middle of a cafeteria._

_Get it together._

She had to admit, the studio tour was pretty cool. The video presentation opening into the Great Hall had her heart soaring, if only for a second. Her favorite thus har had been the potions classroom. Even while flanked by children taking terrible selfies, it had felt like walking into a dream she had a million times, but never fully conceptualized. If only he could be there, with her. _Stop it._

Fighting every urge to prostrate herself in the middle of the table and refuse to leave until he showed up or she died, she stood and promptly threw away her cup. She still had Diagon Alley to see, and the miniature scale replica of Hogwarts. The train would most likely be incredible too. She looked up; no sharp eyes found hers. Maybe she had imagined it? He probably had seen this before, a thousand times.

Sad girls staring into their horrendous butterbeers, wondering why they were alone. 

Steeling herself and sliding her shoulders back slightly, she walked out toward the sign for future exhibits. 

\-----

Her eyes grew wide in wonder. Even with the track lights above, the street before her was even better than she had seen countless times in the films. Behind a short fence, all the shopfronts she knew by heart were almost within reach. Flourish and Blotts, Eyelop’s Owl Emporium, even the twin’s joke shop. To her immediate left was Ollivanders, its dark crescent windows filled to the brim with prop wands nestled in beautiful dark boxes. She could almost see further inside, her hand threatening to reach out. So, so close. Oh, Ollivanders. 

…

_Rowan wood. 10”. Phoenix feather wand core. She eyed the screen, trying to parse it all out. She loved it. It felt so her, like it was somehow made for her, not that she would ever know what it felt like to hold one. She felt someone behind her as a chin came to rest on the top of her head, hands loosely embracing her arms._

_“Ooh a phoenix feather core for the talented Ariana. I knew my girlfriend was special, but this special?” She felt a huge grin break through her features as a kiss slightly grazed her cheek, then her jaw._

_Playfully pushing his face away, she asked, “Guess it’s your turn?”_

_How was this so effortless?_

…

The windowpanes swam before her eyes as she fought back to the present. She forced herself to stare at the wands. The books of Flourish and Blotts. The cute stuffed owls in their cages, as if waiting to be taken home. Quidditch supplies. All she could see reflected in the windows were green eyes.

_Ari, stop. Stop it! Focus._

She suddenly found herself at the end of street. Before turning into the next hallway, she spun around to look back -- one last shred of hope that if she turned, he would be there. And everything would be all right. 

There was no one. 

Alone. She felt so alone. 

A slight scraping sound took her out of her melancholy as a small side door opened. The custodian she saw earlier strolled into view and began sweeping near Ollivanders, focusing intensely on the floor. Ari had some vague notion that he was sweeping nothing, but she was too mortified at her actions to pay full attention. _You are a fool._ Her face began to crumple. _Please don’t notice me, please please don’t notice me._

“Miss?”

 _Oh god._ “Yes?” she asked, trying to keep her face from betraying her. 

“Are you all right?”. His British accent was clipped, as if dotting each word. 

_Of course, I’m not all right. You know I’m not all right. This is why you’re asking this question._ “I…I’m fine. This is a big moment for me, as a child I always envisioned this. I love Diagon Alley, especially Ollivanders. Something about the wands…” she trailed off. 

_Shut up. Shut up. Shut up._

“Would you like to come into the store?”

“I…wait, what?!”

“Ollivanders. I can let you look into the shop if you like. It’s just the storefront though and you can only come in for a second.”

 _Why are you helping me._ “Oh um…that’s extremely kind, but are you sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble. I’m sure people will be coming soon.” 

His eyes suddenly were on her full force, “No they won’t. Come in.”

Fighting a small voice telling her to leave, she walked towards him. _This is fine. He saw you very obviously trying not to cry. He’s just trying to be nice._ He led her to a small gate, and then to the door of Ollivanders. It almost looked like it opened of its own volition. As she stepped in, she realized it was a small space that was lit facing the windows. But the wands--

“Would you like to touch one?”

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly. This is amazing enough as it is. Thanks for letting me look in here.” 

“What’s it they say in the movies? The wand chooses the witch? See which one calls to you.” His tone was light, but he was staring at her intensely. 

_Well, this could not get any weirder, but fuck it. Why not. Which wand?_ She was surprised to see they were all different, and so much more detailed than she had initially thought from the other side of the window. Short wands, long and lithe wands, of all wood types stared up at her. Her eyes flicked around, trying to come to terms with the situation she had found herself in. There, at the corner of her vision. It was a bit shorter but not by much, lighter colored. 

Her hand reached out, gently fingering the outside of the box. She couldn’t look up, couldn’t look at the eyes boring into hers. She realized she was shaking slightly. Her fingers grabbed the handle and she pulled it towards her, looking at it. This felt far too real. Was the wand glowing?

Breaking the spell, she looked at him. “Interesting” she heard him murmur, his face pulled into a smirk. 

Then, darkness. 

\-----

She woke up to a finely wrought, four poster bed enclosed by green curtains. 

_This is not my hotel room._

She could hear people talking faintly in the distance. 

_This is not my hotel room._

“Astoria! Astoria, it’s time to get up!”.

_Who’s Astoria?_

“Astoria!” the curtains shot open as light flooded in and a small, pert girl with brown eyes and a pointed chin rolled her eyes at her, “You have to get up. You know that we only have fifteen minutes to get the Great Hall. Snape is going to be furious with us if we’re late.”

_What the --_

She fell back to the pillows as her vision faded once again into black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All,
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! This is a good old fashioned pop-into-the-book-of-your-dreams kind of story :D. As such, moving forward some of the story will be the same, and some of it will change.
> 
> If you're curious, I was the person who got a squirrel as their patronus. 
> 
> I would love to hear your thoughts/feelings/feedback! 
> 
> Endless thanks to Marri, Dee, Jikie, and my boyfriend for helping me conceive, edit, and talking to me endlessly about this.
> 
> Also, butterbeer from Warner Bros. tastes god awful. I will die on this hill.


	2. The Hospital Wing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari wakes up in a strange place.

“…Very unusual given the circumstances. Miss Parkinson, you said she fainted immediately after waking up?”

“Yes. She seemed to have trouble getting up, and when she saw me open her curtains she immediately fell back and fainted.”

_No, no, NO this cannot be happening. This is a dream. You’re in a dream, Ari. Maybe if I just keep my eyes closed--_

“Miss Parkinson, could you please go find her sister and bring her here?” 

“Yes of course, I believe she is in Charms class.” Ari heard footsteps heading away from the bed. 

_My…sister?_

“Her breathing has changed. Miss Greengrass, can you hear us at all?”

_What bizarre nightmare have I found myself in?_

Ari opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by three people. A woman in an old-fashioned hospital uniform was looking at her closely, checking her vital signs. To her immediate right stood another woman in what can only be described as Victorian clothing with glasses. At the foot of the bed was the oldest man she had ever seen in her life, with a long beard trailing down his robes. She knew exactly who they were. 

_Ari, this has to be stress. You’re stress dreaming. You’re not laying on a hospital bed in front of Dumbledore, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. I know you’re talking to yourself in the second person again and you promised you would stop doing that, but you have to wake up._

“Oh Miss Greengrass. It’s lovely to see you awake. How are you feeling?” the older woman asked.

 _I am not Miss Greengrass. Please wake up._ “Miss…Greengrass?” Ari asked.

Their faces all mirrored the same look of concern. “Yes, Astoria. I know you had a nasty fainting session this morning. Can you tell me how many fingers I am holding up?”

 _This cannot be._ “Three.” 

_Wait, my voice! This isn’t my voice. I’ve never had a British accent in a dream befo--_

“Yes, good. Miss Greengrass, can you tell me where you are?”

“The…the hospital wing?”

“Good. Can you tell me what class you were missing today?”

“…No”. 

“Can you tell me what year it is?”

 _I have no earthly idea._ “….I’m – I’m not sure.”

The concern on their faces increased. At that exact moment the girl who woke her up walked in with another smaller, younger looking girl, both wearing identical uniforms of dark grey robes with green striped ties. _But that means I’m in Slytherin. I hate Slytherin. I was always a Gryffindor, every single quiz –_

“Ms. Parkinson, thank you for bringing Miss Greengrass to us. Miss Greengrass, I am sorry to tell you this, but your sister has fainted this morning. She doesn’t seem to remember the year,” McGonagall said to the smaller one succinctly. 

_This can’t be who I think it is. Pansy Parkinson?! Anything, anything, but Pansy. And that must be my sister?_

The younger girl paled considerably, “Oh. Oh no. I need to owl Mum and Dad. Right now.” 

Upon seeing their faces become even more drawn, she continued softly, “Astoria has a blood curse from a distant family member. She’s had a few fainting sessions, but nothing like this. They warned us this might happen, but Mum and Dad didn’t think it would present itself so soon.”

McGonagall and Dumbledore exchanged similar glances; eyes wide in subdued shock and unease. Dumbledore looked directly at the girl and said, “Thank you for telling us, Miss Greengrass. Come to my office with Professor McGonagall right away.” He turned to Pansy, “Miss Parkinson, I hope you can maintain some discretion about today’s events. You may go back to class. Please tell Professor Snape you were with me and I will discuss things with him this evening.”

“Of course, Headmaster.”

“Madam Pomfrey, please give a draught to Miss Greengrass to make her more comfortable. We will talk with her this afternoon.”

Madam Pomfrey busied herself with a large glass fronted cabinet at the far end of the room and came back with a small glass vial filled with a murky purple liquid. Thinking that this may end her miserable dream, Ari took the potion and downed it. Once again, she found herself fading into a black ether. 

\-------

Ari awoke in the same large hospital room as her dream. She pulled her hand up above her face and studied it closely. Comprehension and doubt dawned on her in equal measure. 

_This can’t be real. Today I was at the studio tour, it was my anniversary. I was missing Jake. Oh, Jake. I woke up here twice. The man – the custodian. Ollivanders shop with the wands – it can’t be. But it is. Somehow._

Looking around, she found a mirror next to the cabinet. She gingerly tried to bring herself up and found that she was able to sit and then stand. One foot in the front of the other, she made her way to the mirror. The same light blue eyes stared back at her, framed by dark, long hair that fell in slight waves. It was unmistakably her, just a few years younger. _I look the same as I did about five years ago, but how? I guess still being me is a good thing. Oh, I don’t understand any of this._

As she was pondering her complexion, she heard a slight noise outside the hospital wing and quickly shuffled back to bed, taking care in case she felt a dizzy spell. The door opened right as she was two steps from her bed. 

_Damn!_

“Oh good, you’re awake and about,” Madam Pomfrey said, making her way to the bedside to check her pulse once again. “She seems much better than she did this morning.”

“Miss Greengrass, do you feel well enough to come to Dumbledore’s office? We have much to discuss with you,” McGonagall said primly. 

“…Yes. I am afraid of fainting again, if we can go slowly…”

“Of course. Accio cloak!”

Ari briefly saw a flash of a wand as a dark cloak floated off a side chair and found its way to her shoulders. 

She felt thunderstruck. In that moment, everything became terrifyingly real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The biggest change I am making in regards to the characters is the switching of Astoria/Daphne's ages. I thought Ari's name would go better with Astoria, and I also really like Astoria's backstory and thought it would work well with what I am trying to do.


	3. The Blood Curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari learns a little bit more about her circumstances.

Ari silently followed McGonagall through the maze of hallways, trying in vain not to appear dumbstruck by what she was seeing. The castle was so much bigger than she had ever imagined, with so many more twisting stone corridors, old wooden doors, and drafty windows. She knew the stairways moved of their own accord but seeing it and especially being on one in person was another experience entirely. Above, oversized portraits gave her a slight chill down her spine when their eyes followed her, knowing immediately something was off. It took all of her willpower not to shriek every time she saw something new. She focused on her breathing; she definitely did not want to faint again.

_I’m really here._

Students looked at her strangely as well. There were also many more people than she anticipated. She surreptitiously searched faces for anyone she could recognize, especially if the Trio were anywhere. Unfortunately, only saw hints of wands being tucked away, snippets of conversations about classes she had only dreamt of, and of course the curious glances of students wondering why she was semi-underdressed following McGonagall.

Having some time to think as she walked, she realized that McGonagall, Pomfrey, and Dumbledore were all slightly different than what she had expected. Dumbledore especially, instead of wearing dusty old robes in faded colors, his was a deep midnight blue, immaculately clean. Pansy Parkinson too, Ari was sure her face would be permanently contorted into a sneer. In reality, her face looked so small and innocent. _Everyone looks so young._

She couldn’t tell them where she was from. No one would believe her, and she might bring unintended consequences for Astoria’s body she was now inhabiting.

_Think Ari, think._

_I can’t give anything away; I must figure out who Astoria is and become her until I can find a way back to the present. Why was I sent here? Where is her soul? Should I even worry about that--no, not now, I have too much to figure out._

_How the fuck do I even do magic?_

\------

After what simultaneously felt like a second and a lifetime, she found herself staring at a large gargoyle. “Sherbet lemon,” McGonagall recited.

_Glad to know that hasn’t changed._

The gargoyle slowly revolved into a winding staircase. When she reached the top of the stairs, Ari breathed in in wonder. A circular room greeted her, with a large desk in the center where Dumbledore sat, looking thoughtful. They were surrounded by paintings, the occupants regarding her quietly. _Previous headmasters_ , Ari remembered, realizing she was becoming more accepting of moving portraits. Behind his desk, the previous headmaster’s portrait loomed over Dumbledore, and a huge bookcase was stuffed with leather-bound books, papers, and curiosities. Halfway up, a dusty black hat had found its home. _The Sorting Hat._

Off to one side, a large wooden cabinet was against one rounded wall, the only thing shut to a visitor’s prying eyes. _That must be where Dumbledore’s pensieve is._

“Ah yes, Miss Greengrass. Please sit down. Feel free to take a licorice snap,” Dumbledore said, motioning toward his desk. Astoria’s sister was waiting in the other chair, looking at her with slightly widened eyes. 

Recognizing that the licorice snaps had teeth, Ari carefully sat down, avoided the bowl entirely, and looked on at Dumbledore. “I know you’ve had an extremely trying day,” McGonagall said, “please do tell us anything about today or how we can help you.”

“I – I woke up this morning in the hospital wing and I – I don’t remember. I seem to have forgotten, well, eve -- everything. I don’t know the year or the day. I can remember today but everything before is…fuzzy. I don’t know how I am going to get through this year.” 

_Stop shaking._ Gathering what little courage she had, she finished, looking at Daphne, “I know that this is important to my family and I – I don’t want to let anyone down.” _Please let me figure out how I can get back to my world_ , she pleaded silently. 

Daphne’s eyes penetrated her own, she turned and could see identical looks of empathy and concern on McGonagall’s and Dumbledore’s faces. “We were able to get in contact with your parents. They are very worried about you, but we think we might have some good news. Daphne?” Dumbledore prompted to the younger sister.

_Good news? How could anything about this be good news?_

“Mum and Dad were able to owl us back. They said the healers told them this was possible. They also said that you will most likely continue to faint, but that you should be able to get back your memories over time.”

_There’s no way I’ll get her memories back._

__

__

“And the…the blood curse? I’m sorry Daphne, I don’t remember.”

“It’s okay. Mum and Dad don’t know a lot about it, either. They know an ancestor of ours was cursed with a blood malediction after practicing dark magic, and somehow it showed up in you.”

_Oh Astoria, why did it have to be your body?_ The enormity of the day crashed on her, and huge tears began to cascade down her cheeks. _I can’t do this._

She felt a hand grab her own. It was Daphne’s, soft and small, but she felt a sudden strength between her fingertips. Daphne’s eyes were glued on hers, assuring her.

She only began to cry harder, everything felt so hollow. _I can never tell you the truth. You’re holding hands with a stranger, and I can never tell you._

All her emotions came pouring out – the anguish of today, the fear she felt when fainting, her wonder and simultaneous distress at where she found herself, how she was unable to come here willingly. Instead of quieting her, all three silently let Ari cry out her frustration. Understanding flowed out of each of them in waves. 

_How_ , Ari wondered. 

They let her catch her breath before McGonagall spoke, “Hogwarts will always support its students. We can arrange tutors with some of your classmates on the weekends, or with your professors. We will be in the process of talking to them over the evening as well. With the blood curse, so far, its only symptoms have been fainting and partial amnesia. We are confident you can get your memories back,” she then added, “I’m sure your family has the best healers working on it, and we can help you too.” 

_You don’t understand. Soon you’ll realize I have no magical ability._ That reminded her, “My – my – my wand? Where is it?”

“Oh! Good question. Luckily, Mr. Malfoy had the presence of mind to grab it when he carried you to the hospital ward. Here it is!”

_Malfoy – Draco Malfoy! He carried me....?!?! Oh no. No no no no._

Completely unaware of Ari’s inner torment, McGonagall carried on, “When you fainted, Miss Parkinson ran to the Common Room to get help, and fortunately Mr. Malfoy was there. You should be grateful to him for bringing you to Madam Pomfrey’s. But here, give your wand a try.”

She brought her hands to her face. _Oh my god_. Rubbing her eyes vigorously as if to scourge them of the image in her mind, she asked, “Who else knows about…me?”

“Just Mr. Malfoy and Miss Parkinson. Understanding the delicate condition this puts you and your family in, they have sworn to not tell others unless you find it appropriate.” 

Ari had a sudden intense desire to smash her head against the desk to induce secondary amnesia. To add insult to injury, she suddenly realized Astoria’s wand was in her hand. _They’re going to know_ , a voice bubbled up inside her, unbidden. 

_This day could not get any worse._

Her heart began to pound. She carefully looked at it between her fingertips, studying the wand. It was a grey color, shorter than others she had seen, but beautifully etched with a slight leaf pattern. She wasn’t confident given the blur of the day, but she felt it was different than the one she had touched at Ollivanders.

Imitating the movement she had seen in the films, she flicked her wrist. 

Nothing.

_Of course._

“Well that’s certainly not the reaction we wanted. Try again.” 

She concentrated fiercely on the wand. A bit slower than last time, she flicked her wrist, allowing herself to hope for the briefest of seconds. She was always hoping, wasn’t she, only to be disappointed.

A slight blue spark emanated for a brief moment, then was immediately extinguished.

_How…how was that possible?_

She flicked her wrist again. The wisp of light was stronger this time, disappearing after a few seconds.

_It – it can’t be._

“I’ll have to write to Mr. Ollivander, maybe he can help us out with this quandary,” Dumbledore stated, “In the meantime, try to work with your wand and get some rest. I’m sure you need it. We’ll have house-elves bring you dinner to your room.”

Ari nodded, feeling numb.

_I can…I can do magic?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it begins!


	4. The Slytherin Common Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari sees the Slytherin common room for the first time.

The walk to the common room was quiet, both sisters mentally chewing over the day’s events. Beyond the shock of realizing Astoria’s body could still do magic, Ari had no clue how she was going to remember all of the passageways to her classes. Even making her way back to the dungeons seemed to be a herculean undertaking. Thankfully, she did not encounter any students on the way, as they had long retired from the Great Hall to their houses for the evening. 

Carefully studying her sister through her eyelashes, she noted that Daphne did not look much like her. Even though Astoria was shorter than most, Daphne seemed positively miniscule. She held herself ramrod straight, with a pop of bright blond hair in a tight ponytail. The only similarity were their light blue eyes, which had the same bright and clear quality to them, ringed by a darker grey. She was struck by how calm and softly assured the younger girl was, even in the face of her sister’s amnesia. 

Noticing her staring at her, Daphne wound her fingers through Ari’s and stopped, “I want you to know it’s going to be all right. Me, you, Mum and Dad, we’ll figure out how to get through this together. Just as we have done in the past.”

Squeezing her hand once in encouragement, she let go and set the downward pace again. Ari wasn’t sure what to make of this statement. _What happened in the past?_ she wondered, before pushing that thought aside in favor of more pressing matters. 

_You’ve really done it this time, Ari. How are you going to get out of this mess?_

She found herself staring at a somewhat nondescript blank stone wall. “Basilisk Fang,” Daphne said quickly. 

Ari actively had to keep from rolling her eyes. _Could you get any less original?_

She walked into the common room, immediately wondering if Salazar Slytherin’s kink had been the color green. That green. _Jake’s green._ It was everywhere: in the dark and faded wallpaper, the sconces on the walls, the jade hues of the lamps, the main color in the tapestries on the walls. The couches were a deep-set green leather upon which several Slytherin housemates had perched themselves, quietly working on homework or playing dice games together. _He even followed me here_ , she thought miserably.

_Great. Fucking terrific._

Looking around, it was the quiet that unsettled Ari the most, underpinned with the soft background noise of running water. She wondered if maybe the pipes for the castle were close by. Having lived in dorms at her university, she was used to being woken up in the middle of the night by loud laughter, music, even the occasional argument. Beyond the low chuckle or hiss if someone lost at dice, the room was practically devoid of sound – of happiness, she realized.

_This is eerie._

Upon seeing both of them in the common room, Pansy Parkinson jumped up from her scroll. “Astoria, you’re back!”

Dropping her voice a few octaves, she added, “Are you all right?” 

“Hi Pansy. Yes. I’m fine, thank you,” Ari said, wanting to finish this conversation as soon as possible. 

“It’s just that –”

“Oh, look who decided to show up. Thought you could get out of a couple of classes, Greengrass?” 

Turning to face the new interloper, Ari jerked to a sudden halt. _Oh, fuck me._

Blue-grey eyes stared down at her. They looked like clouds before a downpour. 

Of course, he had to be attractive. He was attractive in the way the high school football star would be, haughty and filled to the brim with a sense of superiority and overconfidence. He was taller and more filled out than she expected, making him look older than his young teenage years.

“Sod off Malfoy,” Pansy said, rolling her eyes. Before grabbing Ari’s arm, she added, “Let’s talk upstairs.”

Coming to the realization that this may be the first of many times she was glad for Pansy’s intrusion, Ari let herself be steered up to the dorms. 

\-----

More green awaited her upstairs. 

It was a diamond-shaped room, each side with its own four-poster bed and large trunk at the foot. In the middle, a huge rug of Slytherin’s hissing mascot -- patron saint -- overtook the floor. Pansy went to her bed and sat down carefully, bringing Daphne and Ari with her. Ari noted there were lights strung up around the posts. 

“Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked, more hesitantly this time, “Because when you fainted, it was one of the scariest moments of my life. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head! I had to get Draco to come help you. Bleeding Malfoy!”

“I heard,” Ari replied wryly, “Thank you for doing that, by the way.”

“He’s been an insufferable git since then, all puffed up by his ‘good deed’. Good deed my arse, I’m the one who got him! And I’m the only one who gets to hear about it because Dumbledore promised us not to tell. You really can’t remember anything, can you?”

“No…not – not really. We’re hoping I can get some memories back over time. I don’t have a lot of confidence, to be honest. Speaking of which, do you happen to know my class schedule?”

Pansy looked at her, mouth hanging open for a second, “That bad, huh? Well, lucky for you, you and I are in the same classes for the most part. The only thing is I’ve got Care of Magical Creatures. Maybe you can switch?”

“Good idea, I’ll talk to Dumbledore and see if I can get my schedule changed. What’s for tomorrow?”

“Defense Against the Dark Arts in the morning, but you know that will be a disaster. Or wait, maybe you don’t?” she added, twittering to herself slightly. 

Ari was careful not to reveal how much of a catastrophe she knew DADA would most likely be. She only smiled and shook her head slightly. Widening her eyes, Pansy plowed forward, “No matter! It’s just the first week and most of our professors have just been going over the expectations for the term. I can help you on the weekends, too. Chin up! Us Slytherins have to stick together.”

Daphne solemnly added, “I’m here for you too, Astoria.”

A resounding growl from Ari’s stomach broke up the gravity of the moment. “Oh yes, house elves brought up some dinner for you, you must be famished!”

Ari looked towards what she assumed must be her bed and saw a plate piled high with meats, steamed vegetables, and a heaping pile of mashed potatoes. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten. Trying not to run towards her bed, she unceremoniously began stuffing her face, eliciting giggles from Pansy and a slight smile from Daphne. 

“I forgot to tell you the great news! Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament! Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will be here in October. They told us after the sorting ceremony. Daddy didn’t want to spoil the fun for me, so it was quite a surprise. It will be so much fun – Viktor Krum will be here all year!”

The realization hit her like a tidal wave. The Triwizard Tournament! But that means – 

_Cedric Diggory is alive?!_

\-----

Ari awoke early, a green tinged light just barely streaming through the high windows. _Ah yes, my favorite color_ , rolling her eyes at the thought. 

This would be her first morning in the Great Hall. This would be her first DADA class - she felt anxiety settling into her chest, wrapping its way around her heart.

 _It’s that day_ , isn’t it, the memory reverberating its way through her spine. _Killing curse day_. She had never managed to come up for a better name for it, for the chill she felt. 

_Please don’t faint today_ , she pleaded to herself. 

\-----

Walking down to the stairs to the common room to wait for Pansy and Daphne, she stopped dead in her tracks. It wasn’t wallpaper at all, but windows. The water sounds I heard last night – it was the lake?

Why hadn’t anyone ever mentioned this? The room was aglow with the hues of emerald and sapphire, the sun just beginning to strike the water above. 

_This is incredible_. it looked so different in the early morning light. So alive.

Vividly remembering a scene from the Sound of Music that she hadn’t seen since she was seven, Ari was seized by a ridiculous notion. _Screw it_. No one was awake yet. She might not get another chance like this. She walked to the center of the room, threw her arms out, and spun under the light, the colors merging into a brilliant aquamarine. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it,” a voice drawled out, “You have to be up early to appreciate it. Sometimes you can even see the giant squid.”

When she was no longer seeing double, her vision cleared to find a smirking blond boy. 

She hoped in vain he could not see how red her cheeks had become. “It would be more beautiful if you weren’t here to ruin it”. 

Of course, it had to be him. Of course, he would ruin it. 

“I would appreciate it if this didn’t make its way around the common room.”

“It will be another little secret of ours, Greengrass,” his smirk becoming impossibly large across his stupidly attractive features. She almost thought he was grinning.

_Did he ever use first names?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This incredible art by Eliott-Chacoco](https://www.deviantart.com/eliott-chacoco/art/Slytherin-Common-Room-745646034) inspired the twirling scene. I saw it and I had to do something with it. I know it's lame. but hopefully good lame?


	5. The Great Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari pokes a bear.

The walk to the Great Hall was relatively quiet. _Malfoy_ insisted on accompanying them with his two hulking companions Ari deduced had to be Crabbe and Goyle. They never said a word to one another and seemed to used nodding as a primary form of communication. _Am I an anthropologist now? Geez._ The other students gave them a wide berth, seemingly steering clear of anyone with a green tie. The situation wasn’t helped by Malfoy, who glared at anyone who dared move into his line of sight. 

Ari was the only one who seemed to notice. _Maybe the others are used to this?_

_This does not seem normal._

Her musings were put on hold the moment she stepped into the Great Hall. The ceiling had been bewitched to look like the sun’s rays breaking through the early morning clouds. Ari had never seen anything like it and had to make a conscious effort not to appear astounded. Peering around, four massively long tables spanned the length of the Great Hall, their centers piled high with platters of food, each more precariously stacked than the last. Students were clustered in groups, some reading the Daily Prophet, while others chatted or finished homework. 

As a college student, breakfast had been a bit of an afterthought for Ari. Sometimes she stuffed a protein bar into her face when she had a test in the morning, but otherwise her first meal of the day primarily consisted of liquid caffeine. She and Jake used to go to a local diner on the weekends – _their diner_ – but those moments were long gone.

Situating themselves in the middle, Ari realized a second too late she was facing away from the other tables and could not look for Harry, Ron, or Hermione at the opposite end at the hall. _I’m sure I will see them later_ , she consoled herself. She wasted no time in helping herself to a classic English breakfast and disregarded the raised eyebrow from across the table. 

_Never seen a girl eat like an actual human, have you, Malfoy?_

Pansy purposefully paid no attention, and after buttering her toast, glanced over the Daily Prophet. She turned to Ari, speaking in a low voice, “We’ll walk together to DADA.” She added more loudly, “The new professor looks absolutely mad, no wonder his name is Mad Eye Moody.”

She turned back to the Daily Prophet and became absorbed by some article highlighting new fashion trends.

Knowing who Mad Eye Moody really was made Ari's skin crawl.

“That _professor_ put a lot of good people in Azkaban, friends of Father” Malfoy sneered, “If anything, he’s lucky he even has a face.”

 _Does he know the half of what they did?_ Before she could think about the consequences, Ari blurted out -- voice barely above a whisper, “Maybe they deserved to be there.”

She could feel the blood rushing to her face for the second time this morning. _Idiot. Idiot. Idiot._

Malfoy’s fork clattered to the table below. She saw that his hand had clenched into a fist, shaking with how hard he squeezed, “How do you know who deserved _what_?” his voice growing to a snarl. 

Pansy, completely unimpressed by Malfoy’s outburst, turned from her article, and very obviously mouthed, “Stop it”.

“He gets like that sometimes, ignore it. I’m sure you said nothing. Someone needs to learn better manners.”

Malfoy completely ignored Pansy’s attempts to placate the situation, and instead fixed Ari with a piercing glare. She subconsciously noticed his face was getting closer to hers. It was becoming increasing harder to breathe, as if a vise had been clamped onto her chest. His pupils were mere pinpricks against the blue grey storm that surrounded them. She wondered if this is what it felt like to drown.

_He’s going to hate me now._

“Just who -- who are you?” his voice was more controlled now, but she could sense the hostility surrounding each word. 

At that instant, the tension was momentarily broken by the arrival of what seemed to be a hundred owls, each carrying small letters or packages in their talons. It was a magnificent sight, but she could feel his dark gaze tugging at her peripheral vision. 

She noticed a small, but elegant tawny owl circling above them. A letter gracefully landed to the left of her plate, the script on the front beautifully formed. _This must be from Astoria’s mother and father._

She shot a glance back to him and found his icy stare was still locked onto her, attempting to force its way into the depths of her being. Finding this a fantastic reason to break away from the leaden pull of his eyes for good, Ari pulled open the letter.

_Astoria,  
We are so sorry this had to happen to you at Hogwarts. We are hoping we can get some time away to see you soon. Please know Tabitha, our faithful healer, has been combing our family documents for any information about this horrible curse. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy also reached out and have pledged their assistance and use of their library. It was so good of Draco to provide support to you in your time of need. In the meantime, if there is anything we can do, we are just an owl away.  
With Love,  
Mum and Dad_

Her face turned to a scowl as she read on. Though she was warmed by the response by her currently as-of-yet mystery parents, this felt like the absolute worst possible turn of events. Letting out a long mental sigh, she asked herself, _why does this keep happening to me?_

“Bad news?” a voice sarcastically asked. 

His eyes were glued to her. 

“I’m fine but thank you so much for your concern. That was my mo-Mum and Dad. You told your parents? I must thank you for their support,” she retorted, keeping her voice clipped and short. 

She saw the beginnings of a self-satisfied smirk start to appear at the corner of his mouth. She wanted to rip it off his face. “The Malfoys will always be there for those in need, especially for someone as esteemed as the Greengrass’ eldest daughter. Our family archive may prove invaluable given your current…malediction,” he said with an insufferably noble tone. 

“I will be sure to keep that in mind.” 

He looked extremely pleased with himself. Ari felt exhausted, as if she had just been sparring with someone for an hour. 

She had an immediate desire to go back downstairs, crawl up into her gigantic green bed, and hibernate for six months. 

_I can do this. I can do this. I can do—_

“Miss Greengrass, could you please come with me?”

_For fuck’s sake, what is it now?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Ari and Draco together is a complete joy, let me tell you! 
> 
> Hopefully you like it as well :) 
> 
> Also, complete tangent, but does anyone else find the house dynamics pretty fascinating?


	6. Ollivanders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or, more appropriately titled, Let-me-find-a-way-to-stuff-as-much-wand-lore-in-your-face-as-I-can.

Exiting the Great Hall with McGonagall, she was immediately met by Dumbledore. 

“Good Morning Miss Greengrass! I hope you’ve had a pleasant breakfast with your fellow housemates,” Dumbledore said cheerfully. _Is he teasing me?_

“I’m sure you’re wondering why you have been called out here,” he stated, eyes twinkling, “When we last spoke, I had sent an owl to Mr. Ollivander and he’s very keen to meet you and see your wand. Given your unique circumstances, after discussing things with Professor McGonagall we feel it best that you meet with him right away. We have already let Professor Moody know you will be missing today’s Defense Against the Dark Arts lecture.” 

_Well at least I get out of seeing Killing Curse day, though it would have been great to finally see Harry._

“Professor McGonagall will be accompanying you. I look forward to hearing about your outing.” 

“Oh, Professor Dumbledore?” Ari asked, hesitantly.

“Yes, Miss Greengrass?”

“I was wondering if it would be possible to switch classes. Pansy Parkinson is taking Care of Magical Creatures, and we thought it might be good to have the same class schedule. Just so I can get…used…to things again."

“Oh, great thinking! Of course, consider it done. I do believe Mr. Malfoy is in that class as well.” 

_Pansy failed to mention that little detail._ She imagined Pansy’s eyes alight in secret mirth at the thought.

“In that case, I will be off. Good luck you two!”

Handing McGonagall a small, old, leather-bound book, he set off at once in the direction of his office. McGonagall led Ari to an unassuming small door on the first floor. The inside was dominated by a large fireplace, in front of which sat two large armchairs, and a small desk. Everything was extremely tidy and neat, but felt very comfortable and lived in. 

_I thought her office would be larger than this. At least it’s cozy._

“Miss Greengrass, the book you saw Dumbledore hand me is a portkey. It will take to us to Diagon Alley and back to my office. Once we are at Diagon Alley, please take pains to stay close to me at all times. We cannot have students gallivanting off during the school week.” 

“Of course, Professor McGonagall. You have my word.” 

_Not that I would know where to run off to._

“Good. Please grab a hold of one side of the book, and step beside me.”

Ari did as she was told, standing next to McGonagall with the book in-between them. Her fingers clamped on the book, anxiety growing with each passing second. Locking her eyes on McGonagall, she began to count to herself, _one...two…thre—_

She then felt something tug deep behind her bellybutton, and a whoosh of sound as she was pushed forwards by an imperceptible force. 

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a heap in an extremely old pub, her legs feeling like jelly. Fighting a sudden wave of nausea, she looked around to find McGonagall about three feet from her, glasses slightly askew but otherwise apparently no worse for wear. 

“Take a second to right yourself and we’ll be off,” McGonagall said, seemingly unperturbed in the slightest by Ari’s plight. 

Taking a few deep breaths, Ari was able to get up and walk around. Following McGonagall down the steps and out the door, she was immediately transfixed by the sight, nausea instantly forgotten.

_Warner Brothers has nothing on this._

_Bustling_ is the word that instantly came to mind. The street seemed to snake around as far as her eye could see, flanked by curious shops and windows selling all manner of goods. She could smell some sort of exotic food far off, intermixed with the smell of old paper, and a dustiness that reminded her of an old castle she had once toured. And the people – there were people everywhere, shopping, talking, arguing. Some were in “muggle” dress, and others in the more classic wizarding robes. She realized with a start that she was very much in the early 1990s, it felt as though she had stepped into some bizarre alternate reality that mixed pointy hats and _Friends_. 

She loved it. 

“Come on Miss Greengrass, we don’t have all day,” McGonagall said, giving her a pointed look to keep moving forward.

She now understood why McGonagall had explicitly said to stay close to her. It seemed quite possible if she did not pay attention, they could easily get separated. Although Ari wanted to stop at every shop, particularly Flourish and Blotts and Eyelops Owl Emporium – she desperately wanted to see the menagerie of owls she was sure awaited her – she followed McGonagall in a state of slack-jawed astonishment. 

Just past Eyelops, they found their destination. A lot smaller than she anticipated, there was one dusty curved window that showcased a singular faded wand. A bell jingled, announcing their presence. She was greeted by neatly stacked, floor to ceiling boxes. The air felt extremely still inside, as if holding its breath in expectation. 

“Good morning,” called a soft voice from inside. 

Ari’s eyes adjusted to the darker entry, finding herself being carefully studied by the light-colored eyes within. “Oh, Minerva and Astoria Greengrass. I’ve been expecting you.”

McGonagall replied, “Thank you for being able to see one of our students on such short notice.”

“Of course. I always want to make sure our customers stay happy with their wands. If I recall yours was…ah yes. Unicorn hair, 11 inches, very springy, made of hazel. I remember when you came with your parents the first time. Could you try to use your wand, Astoria?” he asked expectantly. 

_Here we go again._

She hadn’t tried to do anything since her time in Dumbledore’s office, she’d been too afraid of how she would feel if nothing happened. Taking back the wand, she grabbed the handle and concentrating intensely, swished it back and forth. A few blue sparks shot out, but then, nothing.

Mr. Ollivander was watching the wand, and by extension, her, intently. She felt as though she was under a microscope, as if at any moment her deception would be the put-on display, for all to see. 

“May I see the wand again, Astoria?”

 _He knows_. Feeling the panic in her chest begin to rise, she tried to keep the shaking in her to a minimum as she passed him back the wand.

Mr. Ollivander regarded Astoria’s wand astutely for a few moments. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully before he spoke, “I’ve never experienced this personally, but I have heard it is possible that the wand can reject its wizard during times of acute stress or change.”

McGonagall breathed in sharply. Mr. Ollivander continued, “Dumbledore told me that you fainted and lost your memory. It’s possible that you lost your connection to the wand in that moment. Your wand is unfortunately uniquely suited for this to happen. Unicorn hair cores are very connected to their first owner and can become distraught if a sudden change occurs to the wizard. Hazel wood reacts similarly too.”

Ari keenly noticed the slight emphasis in his words. _First owner._

“There is an easy fix for this, however,” he spoke directly to her now, “All we have to do is find you a new wand.”

As if imbued with a sudden sense of purpose, Mr. Ollivander walked through the length of the small shop. Several boxes flew neatly through the air and appeared stacked at Astoria’s feet. “First, I would like to try another unicorn hair wand to see if another hair could bond to you.” 

The first box unwrapped itself. Ari looked at the wand. “Poplar wood, 12 inches. Receptive to change,” Mr. Ollivander supplied. 

Ari took it in her hands and swished it around. It felt better than Astoria’s wand, but produced no more sparks then the first. 

“Ah, we are making progress. Let’s try the third one.” 

Another box gracefully unwrapped itself in front of Ari. “Let’s give a dragon heartstring core a try. These wands are temperamental, but if my memory serves correct your father has a similar wand. 11 inches and one quarter, made of willow. Denotes great potential for the caster.”

This wand elicited no reaction. _No surprise there_ , Ari thought to herself with a laugh.

“Very interesting, indeed. I wondered if this might happen. No Matter!”

Boxes began zipping around her. After what felt like she had tried every combination of wand possible, for what felt like the hundredth time a small box landed in her hands. It was a lighter colored wand; the handle was tapered to allow it to be held easily but the body was exquisitely detailed in a twisting pattern. She gingerly picked it up, expecting it to be as all the others. Instead, the wand felt warm in her hands. She gave it a small flick.

A kaleidoscope of colors shot from her wand, lighting the dimly lit interior in a glory of light. She gasped. At the same moment, she felt a rush in her ears, as if a door opened in her mind, and hundreds of small puzzle piece memories fell into place. 

She saw a young girl, walking a tightrope between a love for her family and duty to her last name. Of lessons, so many lessons – how to walk and talk and sit, how to be unendingly proper in all situations. Happier memories too, of a small girl running from her father, giggling as her sister tottered after them. She saw a mother, who gave private smiles and small hugs when no one was looking and snuck extra cookies from the kitchen. 

She saw Hogwarts, brief flashes of classrooms and professors. Mostly though, she saw Astoria, who could happily spend hours watching the giant squid from her common room. A girl who was quiet but fiercely protective of those who she loved, and someone who clearly saw the difference between right and wrong. 

She felt an immense amount of gratitude and kindship with the body she was now inhabiting, and a determination to do right by her. 

She was broken from her reverie by Mr. Ollivander’s voice, “I knew we would find it. That’s a very special wand indeed. Rowan wood. 10”. Phoenix feather wand core, flexible and open to change. Phoenix feathers are the hardest to tame in wands, but once won produce the widest range of magic. Rowan wood only pairs itself with a pure hearted wielder but can best almost any other in a duel.”

He added with a slight chuckle and a knowing glance at Ari, “The witch that wields this will be a fearsome creature to behold.”

_I guess I do know what it feels like to hold this wand now._

\-----

Back at Hogwarts, Ari had missed not only DADA but her afternoon classes as well. Finding a new wand really had taken hours. Dinner passed with Pansy prattling endlessly on about the day’s high drama. 

“Can you believe he used the killing curse on that poor bug? After it had to endure the torture of being on Malfoy’s face,” she added with a slight giggle. 

Even Daphne laughed at that, making Malfoy’s appearance turn approximately two shades darker for a minute before he was able to gain some composure. “You were screaming as it flew by you, Parkinson,” he countered. 

“At least I fully admit to it. At any rate, those curses are unforgivable for a reason. I can’t stand Granger most days, but she had a point. And you missed all of this, Astoria! Please tell me your field trip with McGonagall was worth it. Where did she take you, anyway?”

“We should talk about this in the common room. Not here.” 

She met three knowing glances. They retreated to a small couch in a corner of their common room, where Ari relayed her day to them. “I went to Diagon Alley. I got a new wand, so I would say it was worth it,” Ari said, a hint of incredulity in her voice. 

“A new wand?!” Pansy exclaimed. 

“Oh yeah, Daphne knows,” at this, Daphne nodded in ascent, “My wand had stopped working after my amnesia. After talking with Mr. Ollivander, I guess unicorn hair cores can react strongly to changes in their wielders.”

“Merlin’s beard,” said Pansy, then laughed to herself at her outburst, “Who would have thought wands would be so picky…”

Malfoy seemed lost in thought for a second, then asked, “Is it the same wand, or different?”

Ari realized with a start that was the first non-sarcastic comment he had said to her. _Is he genuinely curious?_

“It’s different than before. I am not sure what happened,” realizing she may have given too much away, she quickly added, “I had to try approximately 300 wands before we found this one. I thought McGonagall was going to blow a gasket.” 

“Have you ever heard of someone getting two different wands, though?” Malfoy asked, watching Ari once again. 

“Have you heard of someone getting cursed by their long-dead ancestor, and getting amnesia after fainting?” Ari shot back.

“Point to Greengrass,” Malfoy conceded, “Though, the whole thing is still mental”. 

Taking a brief moment to take in what just happened, Ari finally asked, eyes wide in mock surprise, “Are you agreeing with me? Are you all right, do you feel ill?”

“Oh, shove off,” he said, laughing slightly. 

\-----

Late that night, Ari laid in her bed and relived the day, staring into the darkness. She knew it was thanks to Astoria’s body she could do magic at all but wasn’t sure how it was possible. To think she now even had some of her memories seemed, in a word, unfathomable. 

She thought carefully over the custodian’s words at the studio, if there was something she missed that could have been a clue. Nothing seemed amiss, if anything, it seemed to be happenstance that he picked her. His final words haunted her. “Interesting” he had said, as if it was all some crazy cosmic joke. 

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was here for a reason. 

_Think, Ari._

_Fourth year. The year everything starts. The year Voldemort comes back._

Her eyes snapped open with a start – if she – 

_If I could fix things, stop Voldemort from using Harry’s blood. Keep Cedric from dying in the graveyard. Then maybe –_

_Maybe I could go home._

Becoming more determined with every second that passed, she drifted off to sleep.

\----

She dreamed of laughing blue-grey eyes.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [A delightful Friends/Harry Potter mashup video everyone should see](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9JcCbh0pRk)
> 
> [Wand woods](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/wand-woods)
> 
> [Wand cores](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/wand-cores)
> 
> [This](https://alivans.com/product/marqueterie-787/) is the wand I had in mind (in a lighter wood) when devising Ari's wand. It's gorgeous. Also, huge shout out to Alivans.
> 
> This was SO MUCH FUN to write. My love of wand lore is pretty intense, and probably one of my most favorite things about this series (except a certain blond haired wizard).
> 
> I'm assuming everyone who would be interested in a fanfiction like this has read the books or seen the movies, but past this point there will be significant spoilers for the rest of the series.


	7. Potions Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari sees green again.

Ari and Pansy raced through Hogwarts winding halls, they had approximately one-minute left before they were officially late. “Why didn’t you wake me up?!” Ari half yelled, half panted at Pansy.

“The last time I did, you fainted! I couldn’t have that on my conscience, could I?” she retorted back. Ari could swear she could hear a smile in her words even as she wheezed.

“Well, it’s not my fault you just had to redo your hair and grab toast!”

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” she lobbed back at Ari, in a singsong breathy voice, “We’re almost there anyways, we’ll make it just in time. And it’s Snape, he’s not that bad.”

_Not that bad -- what planet are you on?_

They sprinted through the last hallway, banging open the door to see Snape just about to speak.

“-- How good of you two to join us,” he said drily, “Miss Greengrass, Miss Parkinson, please take your seats next to Mr. Malfoy.”

Pansy winked at Ari as they made their way to the seats at the front, to the general annoyance of everyone else. Malfoy had raised a sharp eyebrow at the two but said nothing. 

_So much for a normal morning, Ari thought miserably to herself._

“As fourth years, I do not think I have to tell you that the curriculum for this year will be more difficult than the previous year. For some of you, this should be of no concern. For others,” his laser focus moving to someone in the back, “this class may prove to be a significant challenge. Now, if everyone could please go to page 57, we will be brewing Wit-Sharpening Potion.”

It was no wonder Snape’s first name was Severus. His shoulder-length black hair was parted in a stark line down the center of his scalp and looked like it hadn’t been washed in at least two days. Long black robes flowed to his feet. His face looked like it was incapable of smiling, but, to his credit, he looked younger than she had anticipated.

Finally having a second to look around, she surveyed her surroundings. To put it simply, she was in awe. The classroom was oval shaped, the length of it bridged by several archways. To her left was a floor-to-ceiling bookcase and glass cabinet that ran the length of the wall, stuffed with books, commonly used ingredients, and every possible shape of glass vial, beaker, and flask that she could imagine. In the front, Snape had propped up a massive and ancient looking book with the Wit-Sharpening Potion recipe. 

With Astoria’s memories came a short montage of past memories from her past years of potion brewing, some more successful than others. One memory in particular stood out, where Astoria had been standing over a cauldron and her hair had suddenly stood straight on end for five minutes straight, forming a perfect puffball around her face.

_Bet Malfoy had a field day with that._

Recognizing she needed to help Malfoy and Pansy, she looked down at the table to see they had separated the ingredients and were carefully adding them as indicated to the cauldron in front of them, each changing the color in turn. The other students in the class began talking quietly, adding a low hum of noise. Ari found herself wishing her classes in high school could have been like this. 

“So, which one of you slept in late?” Malfoy asked. 

“Astoria– “

“But Pansy insisted on grabbing breakfast!”

“It is the most important meal of the day!”

Malfoy sniggered. From across the classroom, someone loudly shushed them. As if in response, their cauldron emitted a dark green mushroom cloud of smoke. 

“Oh no, we haven’t mixed in enough armadillo bile,” Pansy said, frantically flipping the pages of her textbook. “I think if I keep stirring, we can save it. Astoria, could you be a dear and grab us some more?”

Inwardly cringing at the ingredient needed - _how does one even harvest armadillo bile?_ \- she walked towards the cabinet, carefully avoiding other desks. Looking through the neatly inscribed alphabetical rows: _agrippa, alihotsy, anjelica, antimony, arm - there, armadillo bile_ – she felt her hand brush someone else’s. 

“Oh, my apologies! We must have been looking for the same ingredient,” they said, chuckling slightly.

She looked up, and found her eyes being swallowed by green. _Jake’s green._ Her eyes becoming impossibly large, she searched his face.

_There’s – there’s – there’s no –_

Her vision was swallowed by darkness.

\-----

Ari opened her eyes to find herself on the ground, his green eyes staring down at her.

“Jake…?” she asked, her voice sounding far away.

A slight confused smile graced his lips. “Uh…No. It’s uh..Harry Potter. Who is Jake?”

 _What --_ “No one…! Just someone I used to know.”

Harry looked momentarily incredibly bemused, his hand unconsciously brushing his forehead. _His scar_. Composing himself, he asked, “Are you all right? You went down –"

Just then, Harry was forcibly shoved out of her field of vision. “What did you do to her, Potter?!” Ari heard who she thought might be Malfoy snarl. 

“Nothing, I swear!”

Blue grey eyes suddenly came into view. Extremely concerned blue grey eyes. 

“Astoria, are you all right? Did he hurt you?!”

 _He used my first name_. “No Malfoy – Draco. I fainted for a second, that’s all.”

“Can’t take you anywhere, can I?” his voice barely a whisper, he helped her up to her feet. One hand momentarily rested on the small of her back, the other found its way to her elbow, guiding her upward. “Can you stand okay?”

“I – I think so. Yes.”

Once up, she looked around to find that a small crowd of students had gathered around them, including Professor Snape. Harry was a few steps away, still looking at her with a mixture of confusion and amusement. 

Blushing heavily, she turned to Snape, “I’m so sorry, I must have fainted for a second. I’m fine, by the way.” 

“I’m going to take her to Madam Pomfrey’s,” Malfoy said decisively. 

“I think that would be wise,” Snape responded. 

“I don’t think that’s –” after looking around for a second at the gathering of anxious faces, she added, “Oh, all right.” 

Malfoy steered her out of the classroom, hand still on her elbow. 

\-----

“I’m fine, I swear I was out for just a second –”

“It’s not fine, you were near him –”

“I think it was seeing more armadillo bile. Thinking about how they get it gives me the creeps –” 

As if she hadn’t been talking at all, he continued, “Maybe he hexed you, or cursed you by being in his presence –”

Ari felt a stress headache begin to form at the base of her skull. “Malfoy -- Draco,” at the sound of his first name, he stopped for a second and looked at her, “I’m fine. You know what this is. It has nothing to do with Harry Potter.” 

His eyes softened, but he still responded in a haughty tone, “Greengrass, I still have my memory. Just trust me on this, okay?”

_I very much do not trust you on this._

Even so, she let him lead her to the hospital ward. 

\------

At Draco’s instance, Ari spent the next several hours in the hospital ward make sure it was not, in fact, a curse. After missing yet another afternoon class, Ari was sent away with a draught of peace. 

She was pounced on as soon as she stepped into the common room. 

“I asked you to do one thing – one simple thing. And, what happens?! You faint next to bleeding Potter and have to be taken to the hospital ward, again! And what’s worse, our potion was ruined! Now we have to come back and work on it over the weekend!”

“Pansy – I’m okay. I’m sorry about the potion, though. I’m sure we can make it again.”

“It’s fine,” she said, adding an overdramatic sigh in for good measure, “The house elves brought you some dinner. Are you sure you’re all right? Potter didn’t touch you, did he?”

“Pansy, you and Draco are ridiculous.”

“I told her he could have hexed her,” Draco immediately interjected.

“Ugh, stop it you two! You all know what this is. It was just for a second, I’m pretty sure. And since I was dragged back to the hospital ward,” Ari huffed, glaring at the tall, grumpy figure to her left, “Dumbledore knows about it too. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

“I think we should owl Mum and Dad, to tell them,” Daphne added, earning nods from Draco and Daphne.

“If you want to…” more for her own benefit, Ari added, “Why will no one listen to me when I say that this isn’t a big deal?”

“Because you’ve fainted at least twice in three days and lost your memory in the process!” Draco snapped back.

“Fine. Actually, I have some small news regarding that,” taking a deep breath in, she continued, “Since yesterday, I’ve gotten some of my memories back. I don’t think they’re all there, but there’s some small things I can make out. Mostly from my childhood.”

Malfoy whistled softly. Ari looked at Daphne, who said resolutely, “I’ll definitely be owling Mum and Dad then.”

“I figured you would say that. I don’t—I don’t know what this all means,” Ari said, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. 

“Neither do any of us.”

“Let’s just – can we just take it one day at a time? I really appreciate you guys helping me, but this feels, well, extremely overwhelming.”

“Hey, of course! We can’t be stressing out the girl who faints suddenly anyways, can we?”

“You’re the worst."

“I know, but you love it anyways. I’m going to head upstairs. We have potions homework due on Tuesday by the way, I’ll tell you guys tomorrow.” Pansy went upstairs with Daphne close behind. 

Draco looked back at Ari, head slightly cocked to the side, “So that’s how you remembered you were into blokes named _Jake_ , huh?”

Ari had an intense desire to punch him straight in the chest.

\-----

As she was getting ready for bed, she found Pansy side-eyeing her mischievously. At first trying to evade her, she quickly became exasperated by Pansy’s insistence at catching her gazes.

“What?!” she finally barked at Pansy.

“Nothing…”

“Uhuh.”

After a beat, Pansy chimed in, “Just, you know…wondering when the wedding is…”

“WHAT?!”

“You know.”

“No, I most certainly do not.”

“You and Malfoy have been getting very cozy recently, and I noticed you’ve started to use his first name...”

Ari could swear Pansy’s eyes had turned into sarcastic little hearts. “I feel that I have you to thank for a lot of this.”

“You do, don’t you? It’s all so romantic. It was because of me that he carried you to the hospital ward, and now you two are inseparable. I can’t wait to be acknowledged when you two get married.”

“You do realize that one, you are the absolute worst, and two, it’s not like that at all, right?”

“I am an utter delight to be around, and sure…”

“Pansy, whatever you’re doing here needs to stop. Yes, it is very nice that he’s been helping me out so much. And yes, we have been getting along slightly better than we did before. But we’re just friends. And more so, he doesn’t think of me like that.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Positive. Couldn’t believe in anything more if I tried.” _I also happen to be in someone else’s body, trying to fix the future of someone who looks exactly like my ex-boyfriend._

“Okay…Well, this has been illuminating, Astoria. I’m off to bed. Sweet dreams!” With a final pointed grin, she pranced off and shut her curtains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Wit-Sharpening Potion](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wit-Sharpening_Potion)
> 
> Again, another really fun chapter to write! I've had it in my head that they would look the same somewhat since the beginning. 
> 
> Also, has anyone ever thought critically about potions ingredients? Are there sustainability practices in harvesting these ingredients? Am I thinking about this too much?
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed it, and thanks so much again for reading!


	8. The Courtyard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari realizes things aren't as cut and dry as she thinks.

As Ari awoke, she was struck by the absurdity of her situation. As with much of her time since she had arrived, she only had brief moments to think things over, the rest being devoted to classes, the hospital wing, or her newfound friends.

Combined with the fact that she had stepped into her favorite book, now she had to contend with the fact that her ex-boyfriend was the spitting image of the Boy-Who-Lived. It had felt like a shot to the heart when he had looked at her. Yesterday’s events played in her mind like a film, Harry’s eyes haunting her every time she closed her own. 

_You’re lying to yourself_ , that outside voice thought in her traitorously. _It’s not Harry’s eyes that you see._

_Why did they have to be the same? I made such a fool of myself yesterday._

There was nothing she could do about it now. She knew that trying to ignore Harry would be incredibly difficult. _I have to, though. I can’t change things so much I don’t know what is going to happen. I have to stay one step ahead of everyone._

She swallowed harshly and sighed. _How am I going to affect the Triwizard Tournament without changing things too much, and without attracting suspicion?_

_This is hopeless._

Resigning herself to the fact that answers would not come immediately, she got ready for breakfast in the Great Hall. 

Herbology with Professor Sprout was surprisingly non-eventful, if one didn’t take into consideration how truly disgusting seeing and harvesting bubotuber pus was. Squeezed from the plants like a gigantic blister, Ari actively had to try to not gag. By the end of class, she was positive that the class must have collected enough pus for a small army of people affected by severe acne. 

“That was disgusting. I think I’ll be seeing bubotuber pus in my nightmares for weeks,” Pansy bemoaned. 

“You and me both—”

“Astoria, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second?” 

She turned to see Harry staring at her expectantly. 

_Why this? Why now?_

“Just what do you want to talk to her about, Potter?” came Draco’s sneering voice. 

“Nothing to concern you, Malfoy.”

“I feel it’s very much my concern.”

Both had straightened considerably and were staring at the other, eyes flashing. 

_Oh my god these two._

“Hi Harry,” she said, flicking her eyes very pointedly at Draco to tell him to stop, “That would be fine. I’ll just be a second, you guys.” 

Draco and Pansy stood stiffly off to the side, as if they had suddenly turned into gargoyles. Ari led Harry off to the side of the path, outside of the greenhouse.

“Sorry about them. You know how they are.”

“Err…Yes,” stopping and laughing self-consciously at himself, he continued, “I just wanted to see how you were doing after…you know…yesterday.”

_He’s not Jake. He’s not Jake. He’s not Jake._

“Oh! Thank you,” she said, blushing, “I really appreciate it. Yes, I’m – I’m fine.”

“You really went down hard. Snape’s eyes almost bugged out of his head.”

“I wish I could have seen that. I have this health condition, you see, and I can faint sometimes. I’m okay though, save the mental scarring that just occurred in Herbology.”

He laughed at that outright, “Yeah, that was bloody awful. Who knew plants could be so gross?” he waited a moment before continuing, “I know all about weird health conditions,” he said, rubbing at his scar, “so I completely understand.”

“That’s definitely one way to put it. Speaking of which, I want to apologize for Draco – Malfoy’s behavior yesterday. I guess he was worried about me, but it was uncalled for.”

“Oh, I’m used to that by now. But thanks anyways. I know all too well how he is,” they began to walk back to the Great Hall, “Say, yesterday, you confused me for someone else when you woke up. Is that a common thing to happen to you, because no one’s ever confused me for anyone else before.”

His tone was light, but Ari could tell he was intrigued. “All the time,” she deadpanned. More seriously, she added, “That must have been weird for you. When I woke up, you really…reminded me of someone and I must have been too out of it to realize who you were. That’s all.”

“Yeah – I was just surprised. I’m typically the one who gets stared at so getting confused for someone was weirdly…nice? Anyways, I got to run. I’ll see in you in class?”

“See you around,” she said to his retreating figure. 

It struck her how awkward and _normal_ he was. Becoming more convinced than ever that she had to find a way to save him, she resolutely squared her shoulders and went to find her stony friends.

\-----

“Have a good chat with Potter?” Draco sniped at Ari as soon as they were in the Great Hall.

“Yes, _Draco_. “Harry,” Draco’s eyes began to blaze in anger, “—He just wanted to see how I was after yesterday. He didn’t really get a chance to ask after someone shoved him out of the way and dragged me to the hospital wing.”

“I see he took no time at all to _check-in_ with you.”

“He’s only trying to be nice—” 

“And you’re on a first name basis all of a sudden. Will I get invited to the wedding, or are only muggles going to be there?”

_Another wedding conversation, what is this?_

“You do know men and women can have civilized conversations that don’t end in weddings or one wanting to murder the other? Also, what is it with wedding talk recently?” she added, before she could stop herself.

“Someone else has talked to you about a wedding?” he asked suddenly.

“I – er…nevermind,” Ari blushed for what must have the fiftieth time today as Pansy choked down a laugh, “My point still stands. Men and women can talk to each other pleasantly and have it mean nothing. You should try it sometime.” 

She returned his glare before turning to Pansy, “Pansy, you’re awfully quiet. Do you have anything you would like to add?”

“No, I’m perfectly fine to just sit back and watch…whatever this is.”

Ari rolled her eyes and stabbed viciously into her salad. 

\---- 

She heard the commotion before she saw what was happening. She had been walking around alone, thinking an open afternoon would be the perfect way to clear her mind and get to know Hogwarts better. 

She was walking through a cloistered outdoor corridor, letting her hand brush the stone wall as she meandered through. She had just paused to admire a faded and forgotten medieval mural when she overheard distant shouting. 

Curious about the noise, she ambled over to the next courtyard where a crowd of students had gathered. She tried to step closer, she could see Draco’s shock of blond hair in the center, easily a head taller than most of the throng that had gathered to see what was happening. 

“How dare you insult my mother, Potter.”

“Keep your fat mouth shut, then.”

She heard the screams. 

_Oh! Oh no—Draco, please –_

A vindictive voice chimed in, _maybe he deserves this._

She was pushing against the crowd, forcing her way to the front. She heard Moody yell, the sickening pop as Draco’s tall stature was reduced to a small, white form on the ground below. 

Ari had always liked small animals. One of her middle school friends had a ferret growing up and she had found them to be mischievous and playful, with a penchant for hiding socks and toys in corners. This felt entirely different. This wasn’t funny. 

She was at the front now. Draco – the ferret – was _shaking_.

She could see Moody out of the corner of her eye, his grotesque face contorted in disgust and anger. 

_How is this all an act?_

His hatred for Draco, his concern for Harry as he checked him for signs of being hexed. It all seemed so real. 

Draco’s weasel form tried to run away toward Crabbe and Goyle.

“I don’t think so!” Moody yelled, and suddenly Draco was ten feet in the air, before free falling with a dull thud to the ground below.

_This isn’t right. He doesn’t deserve this. This isn’t— I have to –_

He was up in the air, then down again. Again and again and –

“Stop it!” Ari yelled, not sure how she could make this _stop_ , “—Can’t you see what you’re doing! You’re a _teacher_!”

Moody fixed his wandering eye on her, even as he yelled, “Never – do – that – again!” to Draco, following each word with a drop or rise of his wand, corresponding to Draco’s thrashing form. 

At that exact moment, she heard McGonagall’s voice. “Professor Moody!”

Draco was still being flown higher and higher, Ari could hear his squeaks. She couldn’t focus on McGonagall and Moody’s argument. She couldn’t focus on the students below, alternating between laughs and shocked expressions.

_He’s a student just like you! How is this – how is this okay –_

Moody slammed him on the ground and returned him to his human shape, his eyes shocked, hair disheveled. His eyes found hers. 

_The hospital wing. I have to get him there, I have to –_

She ran to him, helped him get up, heard him grimace in pain and try to hide it. When Moody suggested detention, Ari fixed a loathing stare at him. 

“No, _Professor_ ,” her tongue twisting around each of the vowels. She hated him with every fiber of her being. “He’s going to the hospital wing.”

Before he could supply a retort, Ari grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the crowd. 

\----

“Are you – are you okay?” Ari had pulled him into a dark alcove, away from prying eyes.

“Never better, why do you ask Greengrass?” his attempt at sarcasm to pacify the situation was belied by his hiss in pain. 

“Draco, this isn’t the time for that. Check your arms and legs,” she wanted to pat him down but realized that probably wasn’t appropriate, “You can move them okay, but are you – are you sure? For fuck’s sake, he’s a teacher!”

“Just wait till Father hears about this, Moody is finished.”

_I wouldn’t be so sure of that_. “Come on, let’s get you to Madam Pomfrey’s.”

“I’m fine. As I said, never better.”

“You look far from fine.”

“Just a few scrapes. I’ve had worse.”

“What was it you said to me the other day? That I should trust you? How about you trust me for once?”

Ensuring her grip on his forearm, Ari pulled him along, completely ignoring his protests. 

\-----

Draco was assuredly not fine, having several large bruises and a cracked rib. While the Skele-Gro potion set to work on mending his rib, Ari and Pansy came to visit him with some pumpkin pasties from the Great Hall.

“I am now convinced I cannot leave either of you two alone for a second,” Pansy declared decisively, before taking a bite into her pasty. 

“I am pretty sure you would bring us even more bad luck,” Draco retorted, before adding, “Thank you for bringing this, that Skele-Gro potion was nasty.”

Ari was ignoring their bickering, checking Malfoy for any lingering signs of pain. He looked incredibly tired, but overall not grievously injured.

Pansy said, “Thank Astoria, she’s the one who thought of it. I wanted to come up here and yell at you for a bit. Seriously Malfoy, insulting Weasley’s mom and hexing Potter, what were you thinking?!”

“How lovely to have a friend like you, Parkinson. Always there for me when I need it. And well, you know, they – they’re so _them_ ,” he said, making a face of disgust, “All I did was make a little joke about Weasley’s mom, and here we are.”

Ari interjected, “You know that was an incredibly rude thing to say.”

“She deserved it. Did you see her photo in the Daily Prophet?”

“Draco. Imagine if they said those things about your mother. Actually, you don’t have to imagine it, because you tried to hex Harry for it. They felt the same way you did.”

“I guess I - wait, why are you taking their side?! None of them were turned into a ferret by a deranged psychopath!”

“No, and that was incredibly unethical and wrong. I am merely asking you to think about what you said, and how it was hypocritical for you to insult someone’s mother and simultaneously feel offended when they did the same to you.”

“I…I…didn’t think of it that way,” he begrudgingly admitted, eyes refusing to meet hers. 

“I know you didn’t. But just, for the future, okay?”

“Oh look,” Pansy exclaimed, her eyes doing that weird heart thing Ari couldn’t stand, “You’re taming the beast!”

Draco and Ari both groaned in annoyance, causing Pansy to laugh and look around the room. Eyes glowing with mirth, she then asked, “So what do you guys think? Since we spend so much time here, I’m thinking I call Mum and have her decorator come out here and liven the place up a bit! Maybe some new curtains, definitely some new bedspreads…”

“Don’t you dare say that, then we’ll really be doomed,” Ari warned her ominously. 

Pansy’s eyes sparkled, “I could definitely have this place decorated to make it a bit cozier for say, two people to enjoy? Speaking of which, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. Enjoy your pumpkin pasties!”

Once Pansy had left, Ari rubbed her face with her hands. “She is incorrigible.”

“I know, and for some reason you let her tag along with you everywhere. I’d say this is your fault, Greengrass.”

Not in the mood to step on whatever land mine Draco had put out for her in the last comment, she griped, “My fault?! And why are you calling me by my last name again, I thought we were past this.”

“When did I call you Astoria? That sounds so unlike me.”

“You…you! Ugh!” _I am definitely not in the mood for this._

A smirk was tugging at his features, some color returning to his cheeks. 

“Glad to see you’re well enough to go back to your usual level of annoying-ness,” she finally snapped, long past the point of being able to jest.

“You’re losing your touch. The old Astoria I knew would have had an insult primed much faster than that.”

“You just used my first name!”

“Did I now…I can’t seem to recall. Maybe the beating I received from Moody scrambled my brain too,” his smirk had turned into a full-fledged grin. 

After a moment he added softly, “Thank you for today, Astoria Greengrass.” The grin was still there, but his eyes weren’t as hard as before. 

“It was only fair after what you did yesterday, Draco Malfoy,” she responded, glaring and trying not to smile back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween everyone!
> 
> I was always pretty struck by this scene in the books. I know it was supposed to be played for laughs, but man, when you think about it, it's pretty horrifying.


	9. The Carriage and the Black Masted Ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari meets some new students. (Y'all know what's coming!)

September and October passed by in a blur. Getting through classes proved to be a breeze, Ari was surprised by how little homework they received. Her high school self would have been positively over the moon at the idea of only writing small blurbs about subjects, versus the mountains of homework she received in the United States AP system.

She also found herself taking to magic with ease. Thanks to Draco and Pansy’s companionship and tutelage, most spells required for her level became second nature. If anything, what became the easiest for Ari was their friendship, which would smooth out the undercurrents of anxiety that plagued her, on top of the sudden and intense pangs of homesickness. Little things would remind her of her hometown or parents, making her desperately wish she could walk down her street to her parents’ house one last time and see their faces again. 

Her fainting incidents became less pronounced too, the only one in the past couple of weeks occurring as she was sitting on the couch in the Slytherin common room, reading over the information about antidotes Snape had wanted them to memorize before class the next day.

She was writing notes about the Antidote to Common Poisons when her vision began to swim. Trying to fight it, she called out, “Draco – Drac --”

When she came to, grey blue eyes were staring down into hers. Her head felt cushioned by - _legs_. She could feel the side of her head cradled in his abdomen. Yes, she was definitely resting in his lap. His left arm was angled out, hand barely brushing her side. Blushing slightly, she immediately tried to get up, and found her eyesight begin to blur again. 

_Of all the places to wake up, it had to be this._

He laughed slightly but Ari detected a faint blush beginning to creep up his cheeks as well. “You’re fine, Astoria. You fell over on top of me and I was figuring where to move you when you woke up.”

“Great. Just brilliant. Sorry about that.” 

His eyes turned more serious, “You okay? I can take you to –” 

“No. No Madam Pomfrey’s! I am sick of that place. Just – just give me a moment, yeah?”

A slight grin began to work its way through his features as he said, “Take all the time you need”.

She knew she was furiously blushing now. 

“--This stupid potions homework, who needs to know about – oh! _Oh_. Did I interrupt something? I can leave!”

Ari could see a clearly overjoyed Pansy from a hazy corner of her eyesight. She wouldn’t be able to live this down for weeks. 

“Pansy, whatever you’re thinking in this moment is not correct. I fainted and fell on Draco. He was nice enough to not immediately push me off. That is all.”

“Uhuh.”

“And I’m having some problems getting up, so he’s very nicely letting me…stay. For just a moment.”

“Uhuuh,” she said, extending the vowels this time. 

“She’s telling the truth, Parkinson.”

“Well then you two won’t mind if I just sit over here, then?” Pansy asked, picking up a copy of some magazine and flicking through it, though she was sure Pansy wasn’t reading a word. 

Ari drew her focus back to Draco. He had moved his upper body in such a way where he could be writing notes off to his side without disturbing her. Feeling her gazing up at him, he glanced down at her, smirked slightly, and then continued with his notes. 

His body radiated a subtle heat.

_This is ni—_

_No. Ari. Stop that._

Noticing her vision was no longer fuzzy at the edges; she cautiously raised her head a bit. Finding she could sit up with only a little bit of a woozy feeling, she looked at her notes. “Oh no, this is ruined!” she exclaimed sadly, seeing a jagged black line of ink where her hand had fallen as she fainted. 

Draco looked at her page, then sniggered at her dismayed expression. He shrugged and said, “I’m sure you’ll be fine with what you have. You’re doing better in potions than we are, and you should get some rest.” 

Ari saw the makings of a grin on his face and wondered what he was about to say.

“…We wouldn’t want you fainting like that again without me around to catch you, would we?” 

She unfortunately had no comeback for that.

\-----

The next morning, the Great Hall was even more splendid than usual, big banners of each of the houses covering the walls. The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were going to arrive tonight, and everyone was buzzing with the news. 

Pansy’s eyes were glowing with excitement when they sat down for breakfast. “I told you Viktor Krum is going to be here, and some of the students from Beauxbatons. Did you know that they hide the location of Beauxbatons?! The girls there are much posher than us, you know.”

“I didn’t think anyone could be posher than you, Pansy,” earning a fluttering of eyelashes in thanks, Ari continued, “Wait, why are you so excited for Viktor anyways? Isn’t he…kind of…hideous?”

She didn’t know how to put this delicately, but everything she had read and seen of this man had led her to this one conclusion.

Draco couldn’t help but snort at Ari’s comment. Pansy looked slightly affronted. “You do realize he’s one of the most gifted seekers in history. And there’s so much more to a person than looks.”

“Well yeah, but he’s also, just a…guy?”

“Just a _guy_! He perfected the Wronski Feint!” Draco interjected, “Do you know how hard that is to do?!”

“Sure?”

Draco rolled his eyes at her before continuing. “It’s where the seeker pretends to see the snitch from a high vantage point and fall into a dive to catch it, in the hopes the opposing team’s seeker will also do the same. At the absolute last second, you pull up, hopefully causing the other seeker to crash. Krum pulled it off brilliantly at the Quidditch World Cup. It was absolutely mental to see in person.”

“Oh yes! That er...maneuver thing-y. Isn’t that extremely dangerous?”

“Yes, but - you’re pulling up your broom at the absolute last millisecond. The skill needed…”

Both Pansy’s and Draco’s eyes were large as saucers. Ari surmised it was for very different reasons. Realizing she was not going to win this argument, she munched on her morning toast, thinking to herself about how truly ugly Viktor Krum might be. 

Draco looked thoughtful as he said, “Father thought about sending me to Durmstrang. I guess they’re more willing to teach the Dark Arts there, versus just for ‘defense’. Wouldn’t it be nice to learn something of use here?”

Ari’s heart lurched. _I forgot about this, and what happened after the Quidditch Cup. How much does he know?_ It was so hard to reconcile the Draco she had come to knew with the Draco who laughed as people were getting harassed, someone who hexed Harry without a second thought. How could both be one in the same?

She kept her voice deliberately light as she asked, “Would you want to learn the dark arts like that? You’d have to brave the freezing tundra of Siberia or wherever that school is.”

“You have a point, though those fur hats are quite stylish.”

“You wish because they are most certainly not,” Pansy said.

“Just wait till you see Viktor Krum in one, Parkinson.”

“Ooh, you think he’d really wear one here?! I bet he looks so dreamy!”

“What you’ve said completely contradicts itself.”

“Malfoy,” her tone was that of someone teaching a small child basic math, “When you wear one, you look like a blond idiot in a giant fur hat. When Viktor Krum wears one, I bet he looks like a Bulgarian god.” 

Ari was still stuck on Draco’s words. She had to ask, even if it ruined this moment. “Wait - Why would the dark arts be of use, Draco?” she knew she was treading on thin ice. 

He glanced at her; his eyes slightly more guarded. “Well Father says –”

“Not what your father says, why do _you_ think that?”

His eyes flared up for a second, then died down again. Pansy was looking at both them curiously. “Fine, I’ll bite, Astoria. I – I just think that magic is magic, okay? Why do things have to be light and dark all the time?" 

“Because some magic is good, and some magic is bad.”

“No. It isn’t that simple.”

“How do you know that?”

“Look around you!” whatever small amount of patience he had was now gone, “Do you see how everyone treats us? If good was good and bad was bad as easily as everyone made it out to be, all of us in this house would be the next Dark Lord.”

Flashes of images appeared in her mind all at once. Depictions of how the Weasley twins would boo when eleven-year olds were sorted in Slytherin, what happened to Draco a few weeks ago – how everyone had laughed. The wide berth everyone gave them at the school, the almost fear they had in their eyes sometimes –

_No. He’s wrong. He has to be._

“It doesn’t help how you treat them! You glare at everyone like they’re the enemy! You make them scared of you,” she rasped out with a surprising amount of force. 

“Because that’s how I was treated first.”

“Oh, really? And someone else was hurling insults at people the way you use the m—word like it’s only a playground insult–”

“A spade’s a spade, Greengrass. If someone is a mud—"

“Now now, you two. This isn’t the time for a lover’s spat,” Pansy interrupted with her usual syrupy tone, however there was a hard edge to it. Not in front of other people, not now, it said. 

Ari realized both of their chests were beginning to heave. Taking a deep breath, she sighed and glanced away, then back at Draco.

Draco took one final look at her and stormed out of the Great Hall.

“I’ll go get him. I’m sorry, Pansy.”

“You didn’t have to go that far.” Her words had none of the lightness they usually did.

“I… I know. I’ll get him, okay?”

Grabbing her books, she tried to figure out where he had gone to. 

\-----

She found him hurling stones into the lake. Fall had taken hold of Hogwarts with all its might, and the lake looked like something from a vintage postcard. The trees and ground below were ablaze in a sea of golds and reds. Clad in dark grey, Draco was every bit a stark contrast to his surroundings. He pretended not to notice her, though his hands momentarily faltered with a pebble before flinging it into the deep blue mass before him. 

“Draco, can we talk?”

“Why would we need to, Greengrass?” his usual mask of sarcasm had slid into place, hiding the emotions that Ari was sure swirled underneath. 

“Can you please not do this now, Draco. Can we _please_ talk?” 

“What could you say to me that you haven’t already?”

“That I’m – that I’m sorry, all right? I know some of what you said is true. I know it isn’t easy for you. But you can’t – you have to realize how it looks to everyone else, that what you say matters to other people – to – If only you could be with other people the way you are with Pansy and me – If people could see how you are really are, that you’re –”

“That I’m what? What am I to you?”

He had dropped the remaining stones from his hand and was looking at her now, his eyes as deep as the lake. Ari was afraid if she kept looking into them, she might sink and drown. 

_I don’t know, Draco._

“Didn’t I --” she had to get a grip on the shaking in her voice, “Didn’t I already say? You’re my – you’re my friend. You matter to me. What you say matters to me, okay?”

He blinked – Ari could detect a hint of disappointment, followed by something else. _Hope_? 

“Okay,” he said.

This response left her feeling confused. _Are we…are we good?_

“I do know for a fact we’re going to be late for Care of Magical Creatures now, and those skrewts are not going to take care of themselves.”

Ari snuffed down a small laugh. As they were just starting to walk to Hagrid’s hut, there was something she wanted to do before they left, maybe even needed to do. She stopped and called out quietly, “Hey, Draco?”

He turned to face her in response. She very carefully walked up to him, stood on her tiptoes, and hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck.

Ari could feel his surprise for a second before his hands slid to the curve of her spine, his nose just barely touching the nape of her neck. As he inhaled, a little bit of tension dissipated from his body. He hugged her back, pulling his arms up to hold the sides of her ribcage.

“Hey, Astoria?” he breathed out softly.

“Mmm?”

His words came out as a faint whisper, “I’m sorry, too.”

\-----

Pansy overdramatically rolled her eyes in response when they sidled up to Hagrid’s hut, but gave Ari’s a hand a brief squeeze in relief. Luckily, Hagrid was too excited by the blast-ended skrewts’ growth to notice, even though Ari was pretty sure everyone had else had and was either too afraid of Draco to say something or was willfully choosing to look the other way. Both reasons made her inwardly cringe. 

Following an afternoon of double potions, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were due to appear. They were ordered in front of the Entrance Hall and put into lines by each house’s prefects. Snape looked more dour than usual, and curtly snapped at several Gryffindors and two young Slytherin students. 

Anticipation hung in the air like a thick cloud. Everyone was clamoring to see how and when the students would arrive. When Dumbledore cried out that he could see Beauxbatons delegation, at first students weren’t sure what they were looking at. 

From Ari’s viewpoint, what appeared to be a giant bug was zooming towards them at a great speed. She knew it was a carriage but couldn’t shake the feeling that this was not a carriage at all, given that it was at least twenty to thirty feet tall, pulled by the most enormous horses Ari had ever seen in her life. 

After an angelic looking boy in powder blue sprung from the carriage and unfolded a matching sized set of stairs, Madame Maxime stepped out. Several people gasped in the audience, but the Slytherin house was eerily silent, perhaps due to the manners lessons many of them had to take as children. 

Madame Maxime was easily as tall or taller than Hagrid but would be considered handsome by most around her. Dressed in all black, she certainly knew how to make an entrance. After her came out, she was followed by approximately a dozen older boys and girls, Ari guessed most of them were around 17. They were all ethereally beautiful in the early-evening light, even as they had begun to shiver from the cold. 

“I call the second boy from the left,” Pansy whispered to Ari under her breath. 

“You and every other girl in this hall. Just wait till Durmstrang arrives.” Ari whispered back. 

Draco forcefully shushed them both and glared ahead. Ari was somewhat sure he was glaring at the Beauxbatons boy, which made her giggle to herself. 

After Madame Maxime had loudly told everyone her horses only drank whiskey – what kind of animal rights laws are there in the wizarding world – everyone in the hall was eagerly awaiting the next delegation of students, no one more so than Pansy. Even with the cold, Ari knew that she was trembling as much from excitement as the beginning stages of hypothermia. 

A few torturous moments later, Ari heard a Gryffindor yell, “The lake!” as everyone craned their necks to look down the lawn. The lake had started to gurgle, the one glasslike surface becoming choppy with waves that broke on the shoreline. A black mast began to sprout upwards as an ancient and weary looking ship crested out of the water, landing with a giant splash on the liquid surface below. A plank was hoisted onto the bank below, and a tall man clad in an incredibly thick furry jacket marched out, followed by another dozen students all wearing heavy coats and fur hats.

“The hats – they’re wearing the hats!”

A few minutes later, Pansy eeked out, “There – he – is!” just as many other students audibly gasped.

“Which one is he?” Ari wondered out loud. 

As the dozen students and men became more visible with the light, Ari was sure all the Durmstrang students looked about the same. They were all tall, with prominent noses and thick brow ridges. Even with their fur coats, they all looked to have been raised by grizzly bears, possibly owing to their experiences having to go to school in the middle of an unforgiving frozen tundra. Did they do nothing but menial labor in the freezing temperatures? Why are they all so…big?

_And ugly?_

“The second one, behind Karkaroff, their headmaster!”

“Yeah, I’ll take the Beauxbatons guy,” Ari said under the breath. 

“Perfect, more for me then,” Pansy replied with a bit too much glee. 

“I think you’ll have some competition.” 

Looking around, the noise had grown to a dull rumble as female and male Hogwarts students looked for something to have him sign. The only one who looked as uninterested sprouted a bushy pouf of hair – _Hermione_ , Ari thought knowingly. Even Draco looked visibly excited. 

“Didn’t you meet him at the Quidditch World Cup or something?”

“Well, yes, sort of, but this is different! He’s going to be at Hogwarts! Maybe he can give me some tips!” 

Ari smiled to herself slightly, as it seemed the fight from this morning had been forgotten and forgiven. “Right, the uh…the Wronski feint thing!”

When Draco’s eyebrow had twitched upward at her, she added, “I listen!”

He smirked in response, and everyone made their way to the Great Hall. Through some great stroke of luck for everyone but Ari, the Durmstrang students had ended up sitting with the Slytherins, which meant that she now had the pleasure of seeing Viktor up close. 

Ari realized very quickly her assumptions were correct. It wasn’t that he was as hideous as she imagined, just that he definitely was not her type. His features were harsh and uncompromising, the strong curve of his shoulders stretching his dark Durmstrang uniform. It was a bit of a shock that someone as bulky as him would be an incredible seeker, but Ari felt that stranger things had happened in the magical world. 

Pansy glowed, and Draco took no time in congratulating him on his performance at the Quidditch cup. Seemingly a man of few words, Viktor only said “Thank you” in response, his accent as severe as his looks. The rest of the Durmstrang students were just as reserved, although Ari was able to bring out some conversation by asking them about the geography of their school and classes they took. 

The night’s dinner seemed to more lavish than usual, highlighting the local dishes found in Eastern Europe and France. Ari was especially excited to try the borscht, earning a small smile from Viktor in admiration. Pansy was sure to try some after that as well. 

A thin girl with long, waist length hair the same color as Draco’s passed briefly by their table, earning small gasps and swiveling heads from all the males at their table. Pansy looked at her pointedly and a bit enviously, wondering what her secret was. 

“Fleur Delacour,” Ari whispered to Pansy. “She’s part veela.”

“Oh! Wait, how did you know that? How did I know not know that?”

“I’m sure you had heard it and forgot with your one-true-love in your midst,” Ari joked, “I think it was something my family told me at some point. The Delacours are known for it,” she was somewhat deceitful in her answer but knew it couldn’t be that far off base. “The way these idiots,” jerking her thumb at the dumbstruck faces, “are acting made it obvious.” 

“Draco Malfoy, kindly close your gaping jaw and ask your compatriots to do the same,” Pansy tersely commanded, causing Draco to stare at her as if his mother had just suddenly appeared, before quickly complying.

Ari wanted to high-five Pansy in that moment. 

It was at this point Dumbledore stood up and walked to the front of the podium, as a large wooden case was presented to his side. “The Triwizard Tournament is about to start!” 

Ari was sure she could hear a pin drop. Everyone’s faces were turned towards Dumbledore, with rapt expressions. Dumbledore quickly introduced Barty Crouch Sr. and Ludo Bagman before continuing. “There will be three tasks this year, and they will test the Champions in every way possible, including their ability to face danger.” 

As Dumbledore further explained the rules, Ari surreptitiously searched the faces for Cedric’s. There was one exceedingly good looking older Hufflepuff who was taller than those around him. _Him, it has to be him._

“…The Champions will be chosen by an impartial selector, the Goblet of Fire.” 

Ari’s eyes moved to Dumbledore as he tapped the case three times and pulled out the Goblet. It was a curious cup – wooden and very old with no redeeming or particularly interesting qualities about it, except for the glowing blue-grey flames which sprang from its roughhewn insides. Ari was reminded of Draco’s eyes and watched them instead, the fire reflected back to her. 

As she looked at him, she realized this timeworn wooden cup set into motion what would happen for Harry Potter and everyone around her and felt the incredible weight of the future she had to change. She keenly felt she might screw everything up. 

_I’m here for a reason. I have to try._

Feeling someone watching him, Draco turned to her and stared, his eyes questioning hers.

 _I wish he could know the truth_ , she thought miserably, before looking back to the cup. 

He must have seen something in her depths, because, after a moment, she felt him sigh and turn away too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have written huge chunks of this with the express purpose of shitting on Viktor Krum. After many extended conversations with friends, I feel probably way too strongly about this. 
> 
> Sorry, not sorry hahah :D


	10. The Halloween Feast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari ratchets up the sexual tension just a tad. A smidgen, if you will.

“Do you think Fleur was really _that_ pretty?” Pansy asked softly as they were in their warm beds, just about to drift off to sleep.

“Oh um…I didn’t really think about it. Her hair was lovely.”

“Of course, you would think that,” Ari could hear her scoff in the darkness, “But like, her face. Maybe it’s that she is part veela, but even I thought that she looked…well... _nice_. Made me bloody jealous is what it did.”

_Oh_. Suddenly realizing Pansy might be telling her a lot more than she was letting on, Ari moved forward, giving herself time to formulate an answer. “Pansy? You know, it’s – it’s okay to think that someone is pretty or even beautiful.”

She desperately hoped she was going about this in the right way. 

“…Really?”

“Yeah. You can’t help that.”

_You really can’t_ , she thought to herself, as blue-grey and green eyes swam in her mind. 

_Oh shove off, brain._

\-----

_She walked up to Draco and threw her arms around his neck, clasping tightly. His hands slid to the small of her back and squeezed._

_His head fell to her neck as he slowly began to pepper her neck with kisses, drawing his way upwards towards her mouth. He nipped at the corner of her jaw with his teeth, causing her to moan slightly. She could feel the curve of his smile against her neckline._

_His mouth finally overtook hers, exploring every inch of her mouth with his tongue. He bit her bottom lip hungrily._

_She opened her eyes and found sad green eyes staring at her from a distance._

Ari awoke with a jolt. 

As her breath returned to normal, she realized all she could remember was the curve of Draco’s body against hers, and the green eyes that looked on at them, all knowing. 

\-----

It was a wonderfully dreary Halloween morning. Thick grey clouds hung low around Hogwarts, threatening to begin downpouring at any moment. In the Slytherin common room, the light that filtered through the water created a grey, murky quality, mirroring Ari’s hazy and conflicted feelings from yesterday.

_What the fuck was that dream last night? Why can’t I remember most of it?_

The more she thought about, the fuzzier it became. She knew both Draco and Jake – _Harry?_ – were in it, but she couldn’t piece most of it together. Her mind could see her and Draco together, _hugging?_ – and Jake was watching them, but that was the most she could remember. 

_It doesn’t matter. It’s just a dream, anyways._

She flopped on a couch, feeling suddenly drained. It dawned on her that the Goblet of Fire was sitting in the Great Hall, and that Harry’s name had most likely already been put into it by Moody.

_Fucking-piece-of-shit Moody._

Everything that had happened with Draco solidified her hatred of this absolute fraud of a human being. She hated every second of class with him, knowing that he was befriending Harry and creating a false sense of security. She hated how her classmates hung on his every word. She wanted to run to the Great Hall and reveal exactly who he is and where the real Moody was, but immediately realized that would be one of the stupidest decisions she could make. Barty Crouch Jr. was an incredibly powerful and dangerous person and would not hesitate to hurt her or her friends in pursuit of his goal for Voldemort. 

But she still wanted to do _something_. If she could get her friends on board, maybe they could undermine him in more insidious ways. If she, Draco, and Pansy could make his life a living hell, maybe this sense of guilt she was feeling would abate –

“--Astoria? Merlin, have you fainted with your eyes open?”

Ari vaguely saw a waving hand in front of her face. She focused her eyes and found that Pansy and Draco were staring at her, with somewhat apprehensive but also amused expressions.

“Hi guys! No, no I’m here. Sorry, must have spaced out for a second.”

“A second?! We were standing here for at least two minutes.”

“There’s no way.”

“Parkinson and I were taking bets. I was at ten sickles that you were just daydreaming,” Draco deadpanned.

“Now I really know you’re joking.”

“Honestly, we were!”

“You are both full of shit.”

Draco and Pansy both sniggered at her but held fast in their assertions. Not sure what to believe, she just glared at them. 

“Right, well, Parkinson and I were going to head down to the Great Hall. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss the Weasel twins’ attempt to put their names in. I’m guessing they are forcibly dragged from the goblet but am willing to entertain other options.”

“Could you please not call them that?” Ari griped at Draco.

“You must be the most fun person to be around at parties.”

“It’s only 8am and I already want to go back to bed and never come back. Please leave me here to slowly die in peace.”

“Don’t be like that, you know you love us,” Pansy glanced up at Draco and smirked for a second before continuing, “Well, one of us especially.”

Throwing a pillow at Pansy’s face, she refused to move until Pansy forcibly dragged her from the couch. 

\-----

They walked into the Entrance Hall to find the Weasley twins, now sporting enormous beards, just step over the age line and make it to the goblet, only to be thrown backwards, as if dynamite had just exploded at their feet. 

Draco’s face broke out into the biggest grin. 

\-----

“—And then they were hurled at least fifteen feet!” Draco told Daphne, who was sitting to his right. 

“Last time you said it was twenty,” Pansy corrected. 

“It must have been at least twenty-five, I mean we were at a bit of a distance,” Ari quickly added. 

Draco glared at them, “Must you destroy my fun!?”

“When it’s the seventh time you’ve told someone, yes,” Pansy said expressionlessly, “Let’s change the subject so I don’t have to hear this again. Who is confirmed for having put their name in?”

“Warrington for sure,” Draco said, “He got up really early and hasn’t been seen since.”

“I think Angelina Johnson. I heard Granger talking about it,” Pansy added.

“You can’t forget Cedric Diggory. Merlin, is he attractive,” Ari said, mostly for her benefit. Pansy and Daphne nodded seriously in ascent. 

Draco rolled his eyes so slowly Ari was convinced paint had dried faster. “Anyways,” he said pointedly, “We can be sure everyone from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang did as well.”

“Yes. So, where does that leave us?”

“I hope Warrington gets it. He’s a big enough lad, and it would be great for our house.”

“I agree,” Ari said, clinging on to a faint wish that maybe someone other than Cedric would get chosen. 

“We know Viktor Krum is all but assured.”

“Who from Beauxbatons?”

“Maybe that bloke you both were mooning over yesterday?” Draco sniped.

“What bloke?” Daphne questioned. 

“Only the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen in your life. Well, beyond Krum, and of course Diggory.”

“Not this again, Pansy. Viktor is not attractive. He looks like he was raised by bears.”

“That’s part of his charm! You know he would be incredibly warm…just imagine cozying up to him on a cold night, the wind roaring outside…”

“I am so beyond done with this mental image. Can we talk about literally anything else?” As Draco began to open his mouth, Ari quickly interjected, “ _Except_ the Weasley twins.”

He snapped his jaw closed, narrowing his eyes at Ari playfully.

\-----

The Great Hall had been completely redecorated for the Halloween Feast and announcement of who would be one of the new Champions. Hundreds of carved pumpkins were placed throughout the hall, each with its own interesting, cute, or grotesque face. Ari wanted to believe that the placement and carving of each pumpkin had a special backstory and life to it. The ceiling, which matched the foggy exterior, had hundreds of enchanted bats flitting in and about. 

For a moment, Ari felt like she was in a dream. 

That feeling was quickly tampered down and replaced with a mounting sense of dread. Draco, noticing her mood, brushed her arm with his and looked at her questioningly.

At his featherlight touch, she felt the stirrings of a hazy memory, the whispers of a kiss just at the curve of her jaw. Eyes widening, she pulled back and stared at Draco, trying to figure out where it had come from. 

_That dream? It couldn’t be. It must have been a memory of Jake. But he never –_

“Did I do something, are you okay?” he whispered unevenly.

_Found that spot._

“I’ll – I’ll tell you later. It’s nothing, I promise,” She said, immediately regretting her choice of words.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” looking at the Goblet of Fire, she added, “I think they’re going to announce the Champions.”

The noise in the hall died immediately. Dumbledore stood in front of the students and took out his wand, dimming all the candles except those in the pumpkins. 

After a few moments, a slight whooshing sound from the goblet emanated as it’s blue-grey flames turned red, then shot out a short blaze of red and gold. A piece of singed parchment slowly drifted into Dumbledore’s awaiting hand.

“Viktor Krum for Durmstrang!” Dumbledore announced triumphantly, to the thunderous applause and whooping of everyone in the hall. Viktor confidently made his way to the side chamber.

“Knew it!” Draco called out.

A second paper shot out. “For Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour!”

Ari observed Pansy at the announcement. Her cheeks became a little bit pinker as she watched Fleur walk, head held high. 

A third flame shot out. Ari could feel her heart beginning to pound. “For Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory!”

_No_ , she thought to herself, just as the Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers. Cedric grinned at everyone in the hall as he walked to the side chamber. Ari felt her heart cleave.

Dumbledore began to say his closing remarks for the night. Ari could barely hear him over the rush in her ears, the traitorous hope that sprung from her. Her fingernails dug into the bench below her, willing the future to be different. 

_Maybe it won’t happen, maybe it was just a fluke previously. Maybe—_

Dumbledore had stopped speaking. He was looking at the goblet curiously.

_Please, please no. Please. Don’t let it happen._

A final spark shot out, this one the largest. The paper slowly fluttered to Dumbledore’s shaking hand. He looked at it and blanched.

_No._

“Harry Potter,” he said, devoid of most emotion.

\-----

The walk back to the common room was quiet. It was only when they got to their corner near the windows that Draco began to yell.

“I should have known Potter would pull something like this! The slippery little mudblood loving– “ 

“Draco. Don’t.” Ari stopped him short, voice quiet, “Please don’t _ever_ use that word again.”

Draco’s eyes grew large and his cheeks began to redden. He visibly swallowed and nodded, realizing the gravity of her words, “I’m sorry, Astoria. That was uncalled her. He had to have done something, though! I can feel it!” 

“How?” Ari asked flatly.

“I don’t know. He could have…confunded the Goblet! That’s what happened. Or maybe hatched a plan with those Weasel brats.”

“Someone our age was able to do this?” her words sounded dead and far away to her own ears.

She knew she should be making a plan. She knew she shouldn’t feel so lost at the news. _I am so tired_ , Ari thought to herself.

“Like I said, maybe he had help!”

“Draco, compose yourself. Astoria, do you want to sit down?” Pansy was looking at her with concerned eyes, she realized she must look incredibly pale.

“Oh – er, yeah. That would be probably be good. I don’t know why I feel this way.”

_Yes, you do. You know you can’t do this._ She couldn’t summon the energy to be upset with her inner darkness, that voiced the worst of her fears. 

She had only now realized that Pansy had used Draco’s first name. 

“You fainting would be the cherry on this dogshit evening,” Pansy said far-too-calmly as she guided her to the couch, curling her arm around her protectively. 

_Has Pansy ever cursed before?_

Draco had started to pace, his anger giving him a frantic energy. 

Ari let her head rest of Pansy’s dainty shoulder for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she tried to consciously relax, squeezing Pansy’s hand in thanks. Pansy kept her hand in hers, a steadying and comforting force. 

_I have to try._

Ari finally spoke, “Draco, I know you’re upset, and I understand why. It feels like he tricked all of us. But think about it. There are a lot of people who would be happy to see Harry get hurt. Powerful wizards. Don’t you feel one of them could have done this?”

His eyes flicked to her as he stomped back and forth. She knew the wheels were turning in his head, but that he would still be furious.

“You’re telling me that someone did this to Potter without his knowledge?”

“It’s certainly possible.”

“No it’s –” he stopped himself and sighed, rubbing his hand over his face roughly, “If they did, why would they do that?”

“You’ve heard how dangerous these challenges are. Maybe they want him to get hurt, or worse. Someone has tried to kill him every year he’s been here, why would this year be any different?”

Pansy chimed in, “I know what you’re saying, Astoria, but isn’t this incredibly convenient for Potter? Say he wins, wouldn’t he get all the glory of being the Boy-Who-Lived and the boy who won the Triwizard Tournament?”

“You could be right, but something about this doesn’t add up,” Ari knew she couldn’t say much more. 

“There’s nothing we can do about it anyway,” Pansy said, letting a bit of coldness creep into her voice. Lightening slightly, she added in a mock-serious tone, “Astoria, you need your rest, and I’m exhausted.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Ari said sardonically in response. She moved to get up. 

“Wait, before you go – can I – can we talk?” Draco asked.

Pansy raised an eyebrow and smirked, perfectly mimicking Draco’s patented move. “Have fun you two,” she called over her shoulder.

“One of these days, she’ll run out of catchy one-liners,” Ari said once she was out of earshot.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Draco drawled out. 

His face became much more thoughtful, “I’m sorry about – you know.”

“I know. It’s okay. Just – that word is really serious, okay? You hurt a lot of people when you say that.”

“I know, I’m starting to get that now.” 

Ari smiled softly in accord before Draco continued, “Hey, I – at the Great Hall, you said you would talk to me later?”

_How am I going to explain this?_

“For whatever reason, when you touched me, it reminded me of…something. That’s all.”

“And that something is?”

“What if I don’t want to say?”

“Why is that?”

“Because it’s personal.”

“I feel like I have a right to know.”

It was Ari’s turn to ask, “And why is that?” 

She knew they were talking in circles. 

“Because – I touched – Because I just want to know, all right?!” 

“Please?” he added plaintively.

_Fuck me._

“It reminded me of – of being kissed.”

She might as go all the way to hell since she was so close at this point.

“On the neck.”

His pupils had dilated so much she could barely see the blue grey storm that swirled around it. A flush was steadily creeping up his face. Ari refused to think about what that meant. 

“I’m sure I just had a weird dream or something. You know when you something touches you, or something happens and you have a flashback, but you can’t piece it together? It was like that. And you wanted to know! I’m going to go upstairs.”

She knew her own cheeks were blooming with color and very much hoped he could not see it in the dim green light.

As she was on the stairs, she heard Draco quietly swear to himself, “Fucking nothing my arse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told y'all I was a trash panda. I hope you liked my small attempt at upping the tension between them. There will be more of that moving forward. :D
> 
> Personally, my smutty heart would like nothing more than to put our blond-haired wizard in all matter of seriously uncompromising positions, but this isn't the story for that. Whomp whomp. 
> 
> To be serious though, I have updated the tags to now include LGBT characters. If that isn't your thing, I get it, but please note that this will be mentioned more moving forward. I think that the world of Harry Potter could be a whole lot more diverse, and feel that Pansy (and others) are a great way to explore that. Plus, Pansy is the real MVP of this story, let's be real.


	11. The French Gateau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> or, better called, this author comes up with an entire chapter around her love of the Great British Bake-Off.
> 
> You've been warned.

Pansy met her at the door, eyes alight. She immediately cut to the chase, “What was that about?”

“Pansy, I _really_ don’t want to have the same conversation twice. Like you said, this evening has been complete dogshit.”

“You know what will cheer you up? Telling me what that was about. I’m not leaving you alone till you tell me.” 

“I don’t doubt it, however I’ve become rather adept at ignoring you.”

Pansy completely disregarded her pleas, “I am relentless when needed. Like Moaning Myrtle, except cuter.”

“I’m assuming that means you’ll pop up out of a toilet and scare me half to death?”

“I’d rather it be the prefect’s bath, but yes, I think it could be arranged. Speaking of the prefect’s bath, do you think I could tell Viktor about it? And then watch from one of the stalls?”

“That’s awful on all accounts.”

“Maybe if he saw me, he’d ask if I want to join him…”

“Please stop.”

“All that soap everywhere – all over _us_ –!”

Ari didn’t know whether to gag or start laughing. “If I tell you about it, will you stop mentioning Viktor Krum and you in the prefect’s bath together?”

“Perhaps.”

“You are evil incarnate. Fine.”

“I’m waiting…”

“Ugh! So I – I had a dream.”

“A dream?” Her eyebrow twitched. Ari had her undivided attention. 

“Yes. Don’t rush me. You know one of those dreams where – where you’re having a lovely moment with someone or doing something you like, but then you feel someone or something looking at you and it gives you a sudden chill? As if you’re doing something wrong?” 

_This sounds like absolute nonsense, doesn’t it?_

Her face had hardened for a moment, thinking, “Just tell me what happened, Astoria,” as if deciding on something, she softened, the light in her eyes turning a devilish gleam, “Was this lovely moment with a certain blond-haired wizard that we just so happen to know?” 

“Maybe…”

“And what was the 'lovely moment' you were having? Did something happen in it, perhaps something a little sexy?” A small, controlled smirk was beginning to play at her features.

“What! No! I – I actually don’t remember what we did.”

“You don’t remember, or you are refusing to think about it?”

Ari hated how easily Pansy could see through her. “Why am I telling you this? I really don’t remember. There was one thing, though. At dinner, Draco’s hand accidentally brushed my arm, and I got a hint of something. That’s why he wanted to talk to me. This sounds so stupid.”

“A hint of something, huh?”

Ari mentally reminded herself to get back at Pansy at the first opportunity, “Yes! But I don’t know if it was from that so don’t freak out. I remembered a dream where _someone_ may have, well, sort of, kissed my neck. I don’t know why I thought of that, don’t read too much into it, okay?”

“Oh, I absolutely am. Malfoy did that, huh…Wow. Good for him.” Her smirk was now become a full-fledged grin.

“Pansy!” 

“Fine. We’ll leave that – for now. How did he react?”

“He – well he didn’t react that much, if anything he was kind of, blushing? That isn’t important! What is important is - why was someone watching us? Why was it bad? What does that mean?” 

“Well, let me pull out my handy pocket Divination chart and look it up. Astoria, are you really this blind?”

“Wait – what?” Ari’s brows had furrowed in confusion.

“Do I have to spell it out for you?”

 _What is she on about?_ “I would rather you than whatever Divination guide you have laying around.”

“I can’t believe you’re this daft, sometimes. I’m going to ask you this honestly, do you like Malfoy?”

 _I can’t – I don’t -_ “What – he – he is my friend. Like you.”

“No, he is most certainly not like me and you know it. Stop lying to yourself.”

“What – what do you mean?!” 

“I think you need to figure this out for yourself.” 

This conversation was going too fast for her to catch up, “No, I really don’t think – “

Pansy cut her off, “Think about it. Maybe you got that bad feeling because _you_ feel bad about _your_ feelings.”

 _I do feel bad, I can’t feel this way_ – “He’s just –”

_What is he?_

“He’s just what, Astoria? A boy? I know he’s a complete git sometimes and can say the absolute worst thing, but so can you. And really, why are you making this so complicated, aren’t you just a girl?”

 _He’s fourteen. And I’m not. And this is all screwed up._ “It’s not that simple, Pansy. I wish it was.”

“Why isn’t it simple? Why do you think you’re doing something wrong?”

 _What is with the twenty questions?_ “Because I am doing something wrong, Pansy,” she said, finally snapping back, “I shouldn’t feel thi– If I don’t stay true to myself and my family and why I am here then I’ll –” becoming flustered, she stopped short.

“You’ll what?”

 _I won’t be able to fix the future and save Harry._ “—I might lose sight of everything.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.” 

Ari felt like she was grasping at straws. “We are? Because I feel more in the dark than ever.”

“Well, you’re not. I promise you. But in the meantime, if you could help me find a way to get Viktor into the Prefect’s bathroom –”

Ari threw her pillow at Pansy’s face, Pansy squealing with delight. 

\-----

_“Aren’t you just a girl?”_

The phrase had wormed its way into her consciousness, this first thing that entered her brain when she woke up. Thinking it over, she somewhat hated the adage because no one was just a _girl_ or _boy_ , but the people who felt and said that about themselves made her want to roll her eyes.

And here she was, thinking that about herself. 

_But I am more than just a girl._

_…Aren’t I?_

Looking up at her green canopied bed, she forced herself to focus on the present and what actually mattered. _Harry._

 _The first task. The Hungarian horntail._ Moody had been the guiding force in Hagrid finding out about the dragons in the Forbidden Forest and had also strongly hinted to Harry that he could use his broom to get the egg. Ari knew that there was little she could do to change this, even if Moody was somehow taken away from the equation Hagrid would have most likely figured out about the dragons, and Hermione may have come up with the summoning charm on her own. 

She still wondered if there was another way. She felt the need to learn as much about the dragons as she possibly could, and possibly run into Cedric in the process. 

_The library._

_If I could “bump” into him, and coincidentally be researching the same thing he is, maybe I can pass more hints to him about the upcoming challenges._

Resolving herself to this course of action, she pulled her curtains apart with such force Pansy hoarsely yelped and called out, “Merlin, Astoria! Could you not do that on a Saturday morning?”

\-----

Breakfast passed by relatively uneventfully. Ari was happily recreating her usual diner breakfast when a very over-encumbered owl was seen hovering above their heads, clearly looking to end the cause of its torment. Without any flourish, it unceremoniously dropped the biggest package Ari had ever seen an owl carry directly in front of Draco. 

Inside was a collection of incredibly beautiful individual sized patisserie-style cakes and sweets including tarts, macarons, and delicately layered cakes of all shapes, none of which were harmed by their delivery. Ari had watched enough _Great British Bake-Off_ in the modern world to realize the skill required to make even one of these. Her eyes must have betrayed her, because Draco lopsidedly grinned as he saw her expression. Flushing slightly, she looked around and realized the most curious part about this, no one seemed to really care except several Durmstrang students, who were elbowing each other and staring. 

Pansy chimed in, “You must not remember quite yet. Draco gets a package like this every couple of months. They have the most brilliant house elf who specializes in French pastry. Mum was so jealous when she found out.”

Ari bristled at the thought of the house-elves in the Malfoy residence. The thought of hundreds of tiny indentured slaves who are not only forced to do their master’s bidding, but also actively enjoyed it made dig her fingernails into her palms. 

_This fucking world._

_Not the time for this_ , she thought very pointedly to herself. She focused back to the cakes. They were beautiful, weren’t they. 

“Would you like one?”

“Oh, I - are you sure?”

His brow furrowed slightly, “Of course. I get these all the time, you’re the one drooling.”

“Well – all right, which one do you like the most?”

“Hmmmm….” he thought on this seriously for a second, surveying his patisserie domain. “Definitely, this one.”

He pointed to what appeared to be a slice of chocolate cake. It was simpler than the others, but still exquisitely made and presented with several different layers of chocolate mousse, cherry jam, and genoise sponge, topped with a chocolate covered cherry. 

“It’s a chocolate gateau,” he said, perfectly enunciating the single French word. 

_I wonder what other French he kno –_

She cut her thought off midway, _No, don’t think that._

She nodded, trying not to draw attention to the blush that was again growing on her face. “Thank you, it looks beautiful.” 

He busied himself with wrapping it, apparently Draco’s mother always sent small boxes in case he wanted to give them to friends. _Of course, she would do something like that._

“Draco’s mother is so thoughtful, isn’t she, Astoria? She’s of French descent, that’s how Draco learned,” Pansy said, a knowing gleam in her eye. 

_Are you a mind reader_? “Yes, I am sure she’s lovely,” Ari shot back, shooting glares in Pansy’s direction.

“She’s even lovelier in person, isn’t she Draco? You should meet her soon.”

“A letter would more than suffice, _Pansy_ —" her tone telling her to knock it off.

Draco, oblivious to what was happening around him, stopped fumbling with the small box and interjected, “Oh, hmm? Yeah, Mother’s great. She wrote me a letter, actually.”

Snapping open the seal, he skimmed the contents, “She wanted me to share these with you lot, and she said that Father and her have extended an invitation to your parents to come visit over the Christmas holiday. I guess they have been discussing your amnesia and think that some things in our family archive could be of interest.”

 _That again_. At least she could avoid having to meet Lucius and Narcissa, and maybe they would find something that could help us figure that out. Ari felt the search might be useless, though, unless she was there to help guide it. 

“If they think they might have something? I’ll have to tell Daphne, maybe she’ll go too.”

“—Tell me what? Oh, look at those French sweets!” As if on cue, Daphne sat down, her eyes also round. Not everyone was immune to the pull of lovely patisserie. 

“Oh, hey Daph – Draco’s family has invited our parents to spend some of the Christmas holiday with them. They might have some information in their library that could help me. Since most fourth years and up will be staying for the Triwizard Tournament, you can go with them or stay here with me. What do you think?”

“Will I get to eat cake like this if I go?”

Draco chuckled slightly, “Every day if you like.”

Daphne nodded, her cheeks growing rosy, “That would be nice, then. I’ll owl Mum and Dad.”

Draco added, “Daphne, would you like some of these, too?”

“Oh, really! Well, if it’s not too much trouble?”

Repeating the process all over again, Draco wrapped several macarons and a lovely fruit tart for Daphne. She was positively glowing. 

After a brief lull in the conversation, Ari felt it was a good a time as any to let them know about some of her plans.

“Hey, since you all are here, could I talk to you about something?”

The mood became suddenly far more serious, “I’ve been thinking about – about what happened to Draco a couple of weeks ago, and something about it feels – off.”

“Of course it feels off, I was bloody assaulted by a teacher.”

“Well, that’s just it, isn’t it? While he was ostensibly protecting Harry from you, something about it doesn’t feel right.”

Pansy added, “How so? Moody was an auror, it could be that he associates Draco with his dad.”

“Father was under the Imperius curse, I’ll have you know –” 

Ari cut him off before his indignation could become a fever pitch, “Draco, we know. That’s just it. The timing feels…too perfect. How was he there at that exact second? It’s almost like he was –”

“—Following Potter.” Pansy’s eyes narrowed, thinking hard.

“Exactly.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe he is trying to watch over him, or maybe it’s something – else. Whatever it is, I certainly don’t trust him. And plus, I will never forgive him for what he did to you.”

Draco puffed up slightly. Ari continued, “I think we should watch him when we can.”

“Agreed. Plus,” Pansy gave a knowing smirk at Draco, “I’m sure we know some ways to make his life a little more…difficult in the interim.”

Ari grinned. Things were going better than she could have imagined. 

They walked back to the common room. As Draco handed Ari her little boxed cake, his fingertips brushed hers, lingering for a brief moment, before he turned away suddenly.

_Did I imagine that?_

Her hands felt tingly the rest of the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This](https://www.patisseriemakesperfect.co.uk/chocolate-gateau/) is what I had in mind for the cake. 
> 
> Also, I am trying to participate in NanoWrimo this month, so I'm hoping I can finish up this story sooner rather than later! Excited for what's to come ;D
> 
> (my apologies for the continued Viktor Krum jokes)


	12. The Badges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have a feeling most of you know what's coming.

It was a Wednesday morning when Ari first saw the badges. 

_SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY_ they said in large letters before the words spun, replaced with _POTTER STINKS in bright green font_. 

There were Draco and Pansy, laughing, the badges on their chest. 

She felt so angry all of a sudden. She was angry that she had woken up late. She was angry that her first reaction was shock that they were wearing them. She was angry at herself for forgetting that the badges existed in the first place. 

Seeing it now, she hated it. 

She was surprised at her visceral reaction. It was a stupid, small thing, but like so many small, stupid things, had a domino effect. And to wear it hurt. _It would hurt Harry_. It hurt her. She realized she been hoping she could change the way Pansy and Draco thought about the world and their place in it, hoping that it would be enough to just be her. 

_It wasn’t enough_.

She searched the crowd, looking for Daphne’s face. She was off to the side, in the back. She couldn’t fully see – Daphne turned, there was – no badge.

She allowed herself to breathe out in relief. She thanked Daphne to the core of her being with her eyes. She saw a small shadow of a smile for the briefest of moments before she turned away.

As she tried to get through the crowd, she felt suffocated. Everything in her wanted to get to the door without being seen, so that maybe she could get some fresh air – 

“Astoria, look at what Warrington made! Aren’t these hilarious!” Draco’s hand held out a badge for her to take. He was still laughing, his eyes crinkled.

She stared at the badge for a second, tried to figure out how she should act.

“Draco – I’m really not in the mood, okay? I’m going up to the Great Hall.” 

“It’s just all in good fun – here, take one –”

“They’re brilliant, Astoria –” Pansy called out. 

“No. I’m going outside.”

His smile dropped for a second, then a sneer overtook his features, “What? You always have to spoil the party, don’t you – “

Ari did not want to see this version of Draco. Not here, not now. 

“Please don’t do this.” Shoving away his hand, she walked away and out the common room entrance, ignoring the slight jeers and mocking laughs from the other Slytherins. 

“She just can’t take the heat Malfoy, she’s always been so quiet –”

She ran outside, tried to disregard the pounding in her heart, tried to stop the tidal wave of hurt she was feeling. 

Her pragmatic self took over in an attempt to guide her out of the dungeons - _The lake. The lake would be nice. Maybe she could take a second and regroup. Maybe even see the giant squid_. Stop this spiraling thoughts from overtaking her, making the worst possible emotions come out of her like a gale. 

She was turning when she felt an arm on her wrist yanking her backward, forcing her to spin around. A pair of extremely irate blue-grey eyes found hers. 

“Bloody hell, Astoria! You ran out of there like an absolute fool, and now I am a fool for having to chase you down –”

Something in her snapped. “Then don’t –” 

“They’re just badges, Astoria! They don’t mean anything!”

“They mean something and you know it! Please don’t do this, please don’t be this person – ” _Please don’t do what you’re about to do. Please don’t prove everyone right_. 

“What on earth are you talking about, for Merlin’s sake what happened to you this morning – ”

“Please don’t be the worst version of yourself.”

She knew as soon as the words came out of her mouth that it was the wrong thing to say.

His face broke for a second, as a cascade of emotions threatened to overtake his features. Ari could clearly see the hurt, anger, and confusion swirling, before being masked. He dropped her wrist. 

“If that’s how you want to play it, fine. I’ll see you later, Greengrass.”

“Draco – wait – I’m –”

He wasn’t listening. He had turned to go back down, his gait turning into a pounding rhythm against the steps, shoulders hunched.

She turned back towards the wall. She wanted to slam her fist into the stone.

 _You. Are. So. Stupid_.

_You did this with Jake, and now you’re doing this with Draco._

_All you do is say the wrong thing._

_All you do is hurt people._

_Ari –_

It was a small voice but was growing more insistent. 

_Ari—Stop! Think!_

_The duel –_

_The jinxes –_

_Hermione –_

_I have to stop the it before –_

Her feet were running down the steps before she registered her thoughts. 

She got to the corridor as she heard Draco spit out, words full of venom, “Moody’s not here to look after you now – do it, if you’ve got the guts –”

She was so close.

She could see them staring into each other’s eyes, wands raising.

“Furnunculus!”

“Densaugeo!”

She knew they were small, stupid jinxes. She knew they shouldn’t matter. But she couldn’t let Hermione be humiliated like that and another domino fall between Draco and Harry in the process. She had no time to consider what she should or shouldn’t be doing. Two identical jets of light shot out. 

Ari jumped straight into their path. She felt it connect with her body, and looked up, just as Draco’s shocked eyes found hers. 

He was the last thing she saw before her vision blanked.

\-----

“ – Hospital wing, now –”

_Not the hospital wing, I hate it there._

She felt herself being carried by something, something _warm_. She wanted to stay there forever, forget this hurt that was pulling at her insides. Something felt _wrong_. 

Instead of focusing on that, she concentrated on the soft warmth, felt herself curl around it. As if in response, whatever was holding her gripped tighter.

“You’re going to be there soon, I promise. Please, don’t be hurt –”

She felt the darkness tug at her once more, enveloping her. 

\-----

“ – Why did she have to do such a stupid thing, they were just hexes. None of this was supposed to mean anything! Why isn’t she waking up? She normally wakes up right away -”

“Now Mr. Malfoy, you need to calm down. When both jinxes hit her, they caused a chain reaction within her. I’m sure she’ll wake up in due time –”

“But she’s not –“

“Draco, please –” 

“I caused this Pansy, can’t you see! This is all my fault!”

“We both did, Malfoy –”

“No one asked you, Potter –”

_What on earth –_

Ari’s eyelids felt so heavy. Slowly, incrementally, her eyelashes broke apart as light broke through, momentarily seeing bright spots in her vision. 

She could barely see a group of people off to the side of her bed, two of which were tensely standing some distance apart – 

Draco and Harry – together for _her_ -

She forced herself to blink and open her eyes fully.

She found her voice, her mouth tasted like it had been coated with chalk, “Guys, I’m sure this isn’t –“

All eyes turned to look at her at once. Draco rushed over, followed quickly by Harry, Pansy, and Madam Pomfrey. 

_Why is everyone –_

_Oh. Right._

_The duel._

Draco quickly said, “Astoria, I am so –”

“– Sorry,” Harry finished.

Realizing they had same thought, they immediately looked at each other and glared.

Ari could not muster the energy to care at this point. Her body felt as if it was being weighed down by large boulders. 

_Wait, why do I hurt so much?_

_Why am I not covered in boils with overgrown teeth?_

_Why am I in a hospital bed?_

As if answering her unanswered appeals, Pansy started in at once, “You fainted when the jinxes hit you. At the moment, no one’s sure why they didn’t just cause you to have boils and giant teeth. I’m sure they would have looked smashing on you,” she smiled at Ari before continuing, “Madam Pomfrey thinks it might have been a weird combination of the two jinxes together, or maybe the -" realizing Harry was with them, Pansy hastily said, “The health thing you have.” 

At that moment, Dumbledore and Snape walked in, followed by Daphne.

_Great, now the whole gang is here._

“Miss Greengrass – so good to see you awake,” Dumbledore’s eyes were bright but behind them something swirled, thoughtful and calculating, “You gave us quite a scare today. Are you feeling all right?”

She wondered if she should lie but quickly pushed that notion to the side, “I – to be honest, no.”

Draco’s eyes dropped a little in response. Dumbledore said, “We’ll have you stay in the Hospital wing for at least today and see how you feel. I’m sure Madam Pomfrey will have you right as rain in no time.”

“Can I – can I stay with her?” Draco asked, his voice sounding very small.

“Me too?” Harry chimed in.

“Potter, I really think you’ve done enough –”

_Could they keep it in their pants for two seconds?_

Snape icily interrupted, “All right you two, I think that’s been quite enough. Mr. Malfoy, you can stay with her if you so desire, Miss Parkinson as well. Mr. Potter, I think it’s best you go back to my classroom. The three of them are doing far better in my class than you are.”

Harry glared at Snape for a second, before he turned to back to Astoria. “I’ll talk to you soon, yeah? I’m so sorry, again. For all of this.”

“Harry – please. Don’t worry about me, okay? Good luck with Potions.” 

She attempted a weak smile at him. _You’ve got far too much on your plate as it is. I’ll be fine, I promise._

He awkwardly smiled back for a second, then walked out the door following Snape. 

Draco immediately rounded back on Ari, “Why would you do such a stupid thing?! Astoria you, you were –”

“Mr. Malfoy, if you don’t give Miss Greengrass a rest, you will be forced to join Mr. Potter in Potions.”

“I – I’m sorry. I’ll behave.”

 _Fat chance_ , Ari thought wryly to herself. Catching Pansy’s look at her, Ari surmised they were thinking the exact same thing. 

Daphne spoke next, her serious face looking grim, “I’ve owled Mum and Dad, Astoria. They’re probably going to want to you to be looked at by Tabitha,” looking at Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey, she added, “Our family healer.”

“Ah, of course. She’s more than welcome to see you here,” ignoring Madam Pomfrey beginning to bristle at the idea of another healer setting up shop in her hospital wing. 

“I can see you’re in capable hands, Miss Greengrass. Please come to my office when you’re feeling up to it.”

“Of course, Headmaster.”

“I’m going to head back to class too, Astoria. I’m so glad you’re okay,” Daphne gave Ari’s hand a brief but intense squeeze. 

The second they both left, both Pansy and Draco stood hesitantly on either ends of the hospital bed. Their badges had disappeared off their robes. 

“Guys, I’m not made of glass, I swear –”

“Why the fuck would you do that, Astoria –” 

“How could you do something so senseless -”

_I thought they were told to behave._

She felt herself begin to crack apart. _Maybe I am made of glass._

“Not now, okay? Save your anger for when I can fight it. I know it was beyond stupid, but I – I couldn’t stand seeing everything today. The badges – why were you both wearing them? Our fight. I know I said the wrong thing. Seeing you with Harry. There was so much hatred in your eyes, Draco. And Harry’s, too. There’s no point to any of it. I had to – stop it.” She knew she was saying too much, but she didn’t care. “I didn’t know I would faint again; I just didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

_At least nothing happened to Hermione._

Her eyes were starting to get heavier. She found herself wanting to give in to the weight on her chest.

“Hey, hey love – stay with us now, okay? I think Madam Pomfrey gave you something, but they asked us to try and keep you awake.” Pansy was to her left, grabbing her hand, squeezing as if waiting for a response. 

She squeezed back, but it felt fainter than it should have. 

“They did?” Ari didn’t remember anyone saying that. 

“Draco, I’m going to try to scrounge us up some food, see if that will help. Stay with her, yeah?”

She bustled out of the room, clearly looking for something to occupy her hands. 

_Oh, Draco –_

“Your eyes are so big, Draco.” she really had no filter now, “I’m – I’m okay, I promise.”

And apparently, neither did he, “You’re not okay, Astoria. You’re not okay and it’s all my fault. If I had seen you before, then maybe –” 

“Hey, hey, shhh –”

“And you’re comforting me, when I did this to you.” He ran a hand through his hair, roughly, “Everything you said is true. I know it’s stupid. I can’t help it. I’m so sorry. About today. About everything. I was just so angry. What you said – it doesn’t excuse things, but why are you so bloody right all the time? You weren’t supposed to be there. You weren’t supposed to see –” Locks of blond hair were escaping his typically expertly applied mousse, softening the hard features of his taut expression.

Ari smiled softly to herself, she wanted to reach up and tousle it more. Draco looked at her and cocked his head, questioningly. 

“Your hair, I didn’t realize –” 

“My hair? --” he looked slightly concerned. 

“It’s slightly curly, isn’t it?”

“Why does that matter?”

“I’ve always liked curly hair.”

His eyes seized on her. He looked somewhat crazed, as if he couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. Instead, he moved up on the bed and gingerly brought Ari toward him. Very carefully, he cradled her in his arms, clutching her head against his shoulder. His other arm wrapped around her waist. 

“You can’t scare me like that again,” he whispered into her hair. 

“I’m sorry, Draco.”

She felt herself begin to fall into his arms more. _This is nice._

“Wait – I’m not hurting you, am I?” he stiffened slightly, but didn’t loosen his grip. 

“No – Draco – you feel warm.”

“Oh –”

“Please, don’t let go,” she asked, voice small and tiny.

He simply responded by holding her tighter. 

\-----

Pansy made good on her promise and came back with two steaming plates of British comfort food. It did help tremendously.

“How did you manage to find so much food after breakfast had already ended?” Ari said wonderingly. 

“Secret.”

“Does that secret begin with ‘house’ and end in ‘elves’?” Draco asked cynically. 

“A true lady of the house never reveals her sources.”

“And by sources, I assume you mean –”

“If you say one more thing about house-elves, I am going to sic one on you,” Pansy said sweetly, however Ari could hear the ice dripping from each word. 

“What are you saying? House-elves love me. Just ask Pippy,” Draco had the grace to look abashed at Pansy’s threat. 

“Who is Pippy?”

“My house-elf.”

“Wait, you have a house-elf named Pippy?” 

“Yes, she’s been with me since I was a child.”

Ari, not wanting to entertain the thought of childhood house-elves, interrupted their weird tango, “Guys, this conversation has been great and all, but I swear I’m feeling better now. I think I’ll be on my way –”

“No,” came two voices at once, hands at her arms to keep her from trying to get up.

“You know I hate it here –” 

“Well then, stop doing things to make you come back,” Pansy’s sickly sweet voice was back as she fussed with Ari’s blankets. 

“I can’t help it when I’m surrounded by –" a darkening scowl from Draco’s face stopped her.

“- Good friends?” she finished with a slight grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The badges finally made their appearance!
> 
> This is one of the scenes I had in my head since I conceived of this idea with friends. I know it's quite melodramatic, but that's half the fun, right?


	13. The Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know! It's a library! There's books and stuff.

Word about Ari’s exploits spread through Hogwarts like wildfire, particularly amongst Slytherin and Gryffindor. 

Walking into the Great Hall, she could feel the admiration from the Gryffindor table in the form of appreciative glances and waves as she walked past. She even swore she saw a small smile from Hermione. The reaction from her own table was far chillier. While they appreciated her helping Draco, she could sense their confusion and mistrust at having potentially done the same for his sworn enemy. No one was outwardly hostile, but she felt eyes on her when she looked down or away, only to see nothing when she looked back up.

As she took her seat, she made the conscious decision to avoid all Daily Prophets scattered around on the table, as her face would betray her inner rage at the lies Rita Skeeter was peddling. She knew she would hear all about it from Pansy, anyways. 

Looking around during her breakfast, a sea of _Potter Stinks badges_ glinted back at her. While her actions had done little to stop the badges from making their way through the school, she was inwardly very pleased to see that Pansy’s and Draco’s had completely disappeared. 

_At least that has changed._

Since Wednesday, she had idly noticed she was always in the company of one or both of them, almost as if Pansy and Draco wouldn’t let her out of their sight. 

_Are they taking shifts?_

_You’ll get some answers Saturday, Ari. Maybe you can figure out this mess then._

\----

Ari felt like a nervous ball of energy by the time Saturday rolled around. Mercifully, both Draco and Pansy had given her some space, perhaps sensing her stress at what Tabitha may or may not say. 

_You got this, Ari._

She heard the sounds of her shoes echoing back to her on the stone floor as she walked toward the Hospital Wing. Willing her heartbeat to calm down, she cautiously rapped on the door.

“Come in – ”

She found a small, prim woman next to Madam Pomfrey. They motioned for her to sit in a curtained area they had created for her privacy. 

“Hi Astoria, it’s good to you see you again. Though, I wish it was for better circumstances.”

Tabitha looked reserved and immaculately neat, but her eyes were bright and kind. “You too, Tabitha. Thank you so much for coming. Hope you are well?” 

“Of course – let’s get you looked at. I’ve been briefed on what happened, but can you tell me in your own words?”

Ari blushed at the thought, “It’s really stupid, but my friends got into a heated quarrel that ended in a duel. They were about to jinx one another, and I jumped in the middle of it. I guess it must have caused me to faint again because when I woke up, I was in the Hospital wing.”

“How did you feel when you woke up?”

“In a fair amount of pain. It lessened over time and I’m fine now, but I’m so confused as to why I didn’t get the boils or giant teeth. I honestly would have preferred it to whatever this is.”

“Let me take a look. Do you mind if Madam Pomfrey and I run some diagnostic tests?” 

“Of course not.” 

After Tabitha put her a barrage of tests, including some very nasty tasting potions, they asked her to sit while they reviewed and quietly discussed the results. Ari felt there was little she could do except memorize the room she couldn’t stand and twiddle her thumbs. 

_Well, this sucks._

After what seemed like an eternity, Tabitha asked her to sit while Madam Pomfrey left without looking at her. Ari wondered if it was to talk to Dumbledore.

“Astoria – I need to ask you some more questions. When you faint, how long does it take for you to come to?”

“Sometimes within a few seconds, sometimes hours, I think. The longest was after I was jinxed.”

“Is it sudden, or is it like your eyesight spirals to a point and then you faint?”

“A mixture of both, again it was at its worst when I was jinxed.”

Tabitha looked like she let out a small sigh before continuing, “Thank you for telling me. I’m not going to sugar coat this for you because you deserve to know the truth. We think your curse may have interacted with the jinxes in a very interesting way, internalizing their effects and causing damage to your internal organs. That is why you fainted and subsequently were in pain but didn’t experience any of the usual side effects. Madam Pomfrey had the insight to give you a restorative potion which helped tremendously, but in the meantime, it is imperative that you do not find yourself in situations where you could be jinxed, or hexed. The worse the hex, the worse your body’s reaction to it.”

“What?!” 

_No no no no no. How am I going to do things now –_

_How am I going to save Harry –_

Tabitha noticed her consternation and reached over, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

She forced herself to think things over logically. “What about the times before with the fainting?”

“That I can’t say definitively as of yet. It could be that the curse is causing interruptions to your blood flow, which causes you to faint. We need to look into your family’s history, figure out which family member caused the curse and the circumstances surrounding it. I do have some good news for you, though! We have created a potion for you that should hopefully lessen the number of fainting spells you have, and also help counteract them.” 

\----

As she walked back to the common room, Tabitha’s words swirled in her head, “ _Please take pains to keep yourself safe_ ”.

Once inside, her eyes met three aghast faces. 

“Guys, I’m going to be fine, I swear –”

“No matter how many times you say that, it doesn’t make it true, Astoria.” 

“Maybe if I just say it one more time?”

\-----

“Why are we going to the library again? It’s a Sunday,” Pansy asked Ari for what must have been the fifth time in the past ten minutes.

“Because I wanted to. You are more than welcome to not join,” Ari shot back, “Why are you following me, exactly?”

“I’m your Moaning Myrtle, remember?”

“Ugh! I had just gotten the image of you in the Prefect’s bath out of my hea—”

“Where are you two off to?” Draco asked, suddenly appearing at their side. 

_Do they have a homing beacon on me somewhere? I thought he was going to go practice Quidditch today._

“The library. Astoria needs to do research on...something?”

“Why are you two here? I am perfectly fine on my own. Neither of you even want to be in the library. Don’t you have things to do?”

The implicit meaning of her words was in blinking neon – _Please stop following me._

“Are you trying to get rid of us? And how dare you insinuate such a thing – I love the library,” Draco said conceitedly. 

“On a _Sunday_?”

“Of course, nothing gets me motivated for the week like the smell of old books –” 

Draco’s words were cut off by Pansy’s giggle.

“Okay, seriously, you guys. Did you two make a pact to follow me around? One would think that the library would be an extremely safe place for someone to be—“ 

“Have you seen some of the books they have in there?” 

Ari had to admit she had walked directly into that. “My point still stands!” she added testily, as they walked into the Library.

Even though she had been there a couple of times to find books for assignments, entering through the massive wooden doors always took her breath away. The main room of the library was vast. Tens of thousands of books stacked on huge floor to ceiling shelves stood in narrow rows, with slim tables in-between. Low light emanated from the small table lamps and overhead candelabras. It felt as though it were humanly possible to get lost or find some book that no one had touched in hundreds of years, as if every dusty tome had some secret waiting to be discovered. The smell too, even though Draco had joked about it the smell of old dusty paper permeated every inch. 

It was another place Ari was sure she would never get used to. 

_How am I here?_ she asked herself in wonder.

“What is it you wanted to find?” Draco questioned in a low voice. 

“I’m not sure exactly, I’m going to head to the Dragon Section.”

“Dragons?!” Pansy asked, “Why in the name of Merlin would you need to look those up?”

“What’s it you like to say, Pansy? That it’s a secret?” Ari mimicked Pansy’s smirk, “I’m just curious. Maybe I’ll decide I want to become a dragon handler one day.” 

“Nope. Not happening. I forbid it.”

“For the millionth time, did I ask either of you to join me?! And how can you forbid me from doing something, Draco?”

“When it’s you considering working with dragons, I can.”

Not dignifying that with a response, Ari stalked off, ignoring Pansy’s soft sniggers and Draco’s mock-seriousness. Coming to the Dragon Section, she immediately set to work pulling any books on Hungarian horntails or Swedish short-snouts. Thumbing through the spines, she noticed one at the top – _The Men Who Love Dragons Too Much_ —

Wasn’t that the one Harry reads? Maybe there is something he missed? 

Curiosity getting the best of her, she tried to pull it out, but it was just out of reach. She craned upward, standing on her tiptoes, willing the book to come to her fingertips. 

She reached up again, feeling obstinate. She was inwardly cursing her height when she felt someone come up behind her, their hand easily reaching up to the book, thumbing the spine. She could feel the warmth of their chest at her shoulder. _Draco_. The book fell into his awaiting palm just as he murmured in her ear, “You know you can just use Accio for that, right?”

His words sent shivers down her spine.

Spinning around, she found herself looking up into blue-grey eyes, alight with –

_What were they alight with?_

Refusing to give that thought any more acknowledgement, she tersely muttered, “I’ll be taking that, thank you,” as she snatched the book from his hands. 

Finding a table nearby, she attempted to disregard the heat in her cheeks as she looked over the books. Her shoulder still tingled with a flicker of warmth. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she very methodically began to catalogue each of the books and began writing notes on the characteristics of dragons, along with what she remembered each of the outcomes being. 

_Cedric – Transfiguration – Burned_

_Fleur – Enchanted dragon to sleep – Skirt set on fire  
(why was she wearing a skirt in a challenge?)_

_Viktor – Conjunctivitis Curse – Eggs Smashed_

_Harry – Broom Summoned – Shoulder Injured_

Ari had to admit that the spells they used were most likely far above Harry’s level, so there wasn’t much she could change there. She also realized that that Crouch’s piece of advice to Harry was extremely clever – something that he could learn semi-easily, that didn’t seem out of the realm of his ability, and something that even his oblivious nature would pick up on. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a someone take residence at the opposite corner of her desk. It was Pansy, setting up her quill and ink for homework due next week. Looking up, she saw Draco was draped on a chair some distance away, smiling at some book he had found. She found she really enjoyed this companionable silence, that it almost –

_Made sense._

The thought warming her, she became absorbed in her work. Learning about dragons was pretty fascinating, and she would get to see them with her own eyes in a matter of days. Minus the fear she knew she would feel watching the Champions, she couldn’t help but being secretly thrilled. 

_Dragons are real –_

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her notes. Hastily trying to cover them up, she looked up to see green eyes framed by glasses, “Astoria, I’m sorry to bother you – It’s only that those are all the books I was hoping to look at. When you’re done, could I get them from you next?”

_Harry –_ “Oh, yeah, sure! Of course. Why don’t you sit? I’m just finishing –”

Pansy’s face looked like she had been suddenly stricken with a disease. 

Ari ignored it. _He would be coming to the library today, wouldn’t he –_

“I couldn’t possibly –”

Giving a pointed look at Pansy to behave, Ari hastily said, “Pansy, you don't mind, do you? It’s fine. That way we can work together, and I don’t have to find you in this maze afterwards.” 

She motioned for Harry to sit down. Pansy’s eyes betrayed slight horror as she glared at Ari, but she nevertheless moved her ink pot and made room on the desk. Harry, seemingly nervous but also determined to appear nonchalant, fumbled as he put his parchment and quill down. Ari looked for Draco, who was now standing up, book snapped shut, his eyes a bright tumultuous swirl even in the musty gloom. He spanned the distance in several quick pounding steps. 

“Potter, you wouldn’t mind if I join my friends as well, do _you_?”

Harry eye’s widened behind his glasses but said nothing. Draco shoved himself in his seat next to Ari, a hulking specter. He made an extravagant show of opening his book and finding his place, but Ari was sure he wasn’t reading a word. 

_This is going to be awkward._

The earlier easy camaraderie was replaced by a cold silence. 

_If you don’t say something, this is only going to get worse._

“So, you’re studying dragons, too?” Immediately realizing her tone was a little too bright and loud, she dropped her voice several octaves, “They’re fascinating, aren’t they?”

“Terrifying, more like,” Harry mumbled back to her. 

Ari laughed softly, responding in jest, “Could you imagine trying to _fly_ from one?!” 

Harry’s features softened slightly. Ari fervently wished he would respond so she could drop another hint. 

Out of her peripheral vision, she noticed Draco was glaring at his book so intensely Ari was surprised holes weren’t appearing. 

“I’m done with this pile if you want to start looking at them, except -” Ari realized the top one was useless just as Harry reached for it, their hands touching for a second –

“Sorry! It’s just the top one is rubbish.”

Draco’s hand had curled into a fist. Harry was blushing slightly, oblivious to Draco’s growing anger. He quipped, “It would be, with a title _The Men Who Love Dragons Too Much_ , wouldn’t it?”

A laugh gurgled from Ari’s lips again. Draco’s fist was squeezing harder, Ari could see his fingers beginning to turn bright red. She knew his rage was about to boil over. 

It was the only thing she could think of in the .5 seconds she had. She reached under the table, put her hand on his knee, and gave a quick reassuring squeeze. His eyes shot open. He winced in muted surprise, eyes darting to Ari.

But his fist loosened. 

Pansy, whose glee at the scene unfolding before her had overtaken her earlier repulsion, asked Harry with syrupy words, “So Potter, why are you studying dragons?”

Harry reddened even more, looking for an answer, “Oh – you know, this, er—and that- “

“Is it something for Hagrid?” Ari asked, trying to help him out. 

“Oh! Yes. Yes it is.”

“That great big idiot wouldn’t know a thing about dragons if they blew fire in his face– ”

“ _Draco, be nice_ ,” Ari’s tone was a warning, “I’m sure it will be of help.”

“Here, I suggest this one,” she said, handing Harry _Advanced Dragon-Husbandry and Care, My Experiences working with Dragons in Romania_. “It’s really interesting because it goes through his own challenges in studying them. It’s the best one I found, at least.”

She looked around the table, she realized she couldn’t prolong this awkward agony for much longer. “I’m sorry, we should go. I’m sure we’ve gotten in your hair enough. Good luck with whatever you’re helping Hagrid with!”

_Be safe this week, Harry._

Ari got up, Pansy and Draco immediately following suit, Draco’s chair loudly scraping the floor. 

“Thanks for your help, Astoria.”

She waved goodbye in response. 

Just out of earshot, Pansy burst out laughing, “Astoria, that was brilliant! Best fun I’ve had all week -”

“Were you trying to kill me back there?!” Draco interrupted, his face turning beet red.

\-----

Ari was finally able to shake Pansy and Draco off her tail the following Monday by pretending to need to talk to Professor Flitwick after class. Sneaking out to the hall, she had to peek around each corner to make sure they didn’t see her.

It wasn’t that they would get mad at her, quite the opposite, but they would inevitably end up following her and for this, she wanted to be on her own.

She walked into the library and immediately took a right, away from the main rows. Making her way through the labyrinthian shelves, she found her way back to the Dragon Section. Peering through the shelves, she saw someone working alone, stacks of books surrounding them.

He was even more attractive up close. 

His chiseled jawline was frowning slightly, completely absorbed in his work. He had tan skin that hadn’t faded with the coming of fall, and fair hair was roughly parted off to the side, locks softly falling onto his forehead below. For a second, Ari wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through his hair, then pushed away the thought. His brow was furrowed slightly, grey eyes staring at his parchment below in intense concentration. 

The furrow in his brow grew deeper, and in one sweeping motion he crumpled up his parchment and tossed it to the side. Reaching to open another book, Ari saw the edge of the leather-bound novel and cringed.

_Anything, but that book –_

Her feet moving of their own accord, she walked up to his desk, just as her mouth began to form the words, “I wouldn’t read that one if I were you –”

“Oh -” dropping The Men Who Love Dragons Too Much, he looked up at her suddenly. 

_Good going, Ari._

“I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to surprise you like that. I just saw you were reading that book, and I can tell you from experience, don’t waste your time.”

“You didn’t startle me –“, he sighed and ran his hand through his hair harshly, “Thanks for the tip. Merlin knows I need it.”

“You’re studying dragons too, huh?”

“Yeah – er, sort of? More like trying to figure out how to trick one –”

“Heading to Romania soon, I take it?” she joked.

He half smiled, “Something like that –“, more to himself, he added, “This is hopeless.”

Ari was trying not to look at him too intensely. She said softly, “You know, you could always trick one if you needed? Like distract it – dragons are big, but they’re easily led…astray…”

His eyes grew wide, “That’s it – ” as he began hastily scribbling onto his parchment below.

“I’m sure you would have figured it out eventually.”

“Don’t give me the credit. What’s your name?”

“Oh! Um – Astoria. Astoria Greengrass. I’m in fourth year. You’re Cedric, right?”

“Yeah, I bet the whole school knows that by now,” he sighed in mock-weariness, but Ari could tell he was secretly thrilled at the prospect, “Astoria – seriously, thanks.”

“No worries – it’s nice to meet you, Cedric. Have fun on your trip to Romania!”

He flashed a grin in lieu of saying goodbye.

Ari’s heart stuttered slightly in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's me, your neighborhood trash panda, just trying to shove in all her favorite tropes and scenes she fantasized about as a teenager. 
> 
> ;D
> 
> Also, the thirst for Cedric Diggory is real. 
> 
> Honestly, though, I would probably park myself in the library and refuse to leave.


	14. The Four Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whoo boy is this long.

Her mind was humming as she walked towards the Great Hall, book bag on one shoulder. Not only did she get to meet Cedric and see his very nice exterior in the flesh, but he actually took her little hint! And, she didn’t have to micromanage the sideshow duo who always showed up at the exact wrong time. She was thinking she might have just gotten away with her side trip when –

She collided with what felt like a brick wall. She was suddenly on her butt, her book bag was knocked to the ground, parchment everywhere. Looking up she saw -

_I jinxed it, didn’t I –_

Of course, it was Draco who was sitting on the ground opposite of her, glaring slightly. Of course, Pansy was there too, grinning. They even had Draco’s two bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle, looking around uneasily off to one side. 

“Fancy meeting you here, Astoria,” she smirked at her own comment, “You were really off in your own little world. You plowed right into Draco like a bludger. Got something on your mind?”

 _How can she always see through me?_ “No – sorry, I had to run to the library after Charms,” she winced, realizing how much her backside was hurting at the moment, “You all right, Draco?”

“Always the best when I’m around you,” he said, half a smirk appearing on his lips, which was then replaced by a grimace. 

He looked around at the mess of papers that surrounded them, including parchments filled with her notes – 

_The notes –_

_I didn’t throw away or burn them –_

Trying not to appear frantic, she began to quickly gather all of her papers. 

_Potions, History of Magic, Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration, DADA – I really need a better way to organize –_

_Where is it?!_

Draco began to help her too.

“Oh – you don’t have to do that, I’m fine –”

_Please – please – please don’t find it._

There, to the right of Draco, she thought she could see Cedric’s partial name under several corners of parchment. Disregarding the dull throb of her tailbone, she began to scuttle towards it. She was just inches away from seizing it when she saw a hand shoot out and cover it with splayed fingers. 

“Looking for this?” Draco was fully smirking now, but his cheeks were tinged were pink.

_Shit –_

She realized she was on all fours above his outstretched leg, her hand dangerously close to his thigh. 

Immediately shifting her weight back so she was no longer over him, she felt a heat bloom over her cheeks. 

_This could only happen to me._

His eyes glinted as he made an elaborate demonstration of straightening them all, individually adding each to the pile. She could just see Cedric’s name, becoming more and more visible. The panic in her chest beginning to rise -- 

_Don’t look at it – please –_

She could see his hand grasping it, picking it off the ground. See his quizzical expression as a word caught his eye, his brow beginning to furrow –

“Incendio!”

Draco yelped as the paper ignited and turned to ash. His eyes turned to her, regarding her as her shaking hand slowly lowered her wand. His face was curiously blank, but his eyes blazed.

_What did you see—_

From across the hallway, Pansy’s voice drawled, “You know you two can get a room, right? This is getting obnoxious.”

\-----

The following days leading up to the First Task passed slowly. While Draco never mentioned or asked about the incident in the hallway, she could feel this undercurrent of tension every time he looked at her. It was almost as if he was sizing her up. 

_But against what?_

Pansy, save some perfectly timed comments about the muscularity of Draco’s legs, was also mum about the events that transpired. 

Ari felt irritable, Draco’s inscrutability adding to her own growing apprehension. She only saw Harry or Cedric in passing. Harry seemed far too distracted to notice anyone’s presence, and Cedric was typically surrounded by a large group of friends. How she managed to come across him in the library alone must have been spectacular luck. She longed to talk to them, ask if they were faring okay. 

The morning of the task passed painfully by, with Professor Binns monotonously droning on about a Goblin Rebellion in an even more minute detail than usual, to the dismay of everyone in the class. Ari noticed several Ravenclaws trying not to doze off, however Draco, who typically neglected History of Magic, was testily tapping his quill against his parchment, deep in thought. 

Ari was idly thinking about how much she missed pens and pencils when she sensed that maybe, just maybe, Binns’ recitation was coming to an end. 

_Thank god._

“Merlin, I thought we might all curl up and die there,” Pansy said, stretching her arms as they walked towards the Great Hall for lunch, “Right before the First Task too. Do you think he did it purposefully?”

“I don’t think he’s cognizant enough of the world around him to realize that the Triwizard Tournament is occurring this year,” Ari responded, “It was probably just our –”

A group of students walking towards them diverted her attention. It was Cedric and a couple of his friends. As he passed, he gave a small smile to Astoria, and she smiled encouragingly back at him, silently wishing him good luck for this afternoon. 

“—Luck, “she finished, looking back at them. 

Draco’s body visibly stiffened. “Bloody knew it,” he whispered to himself. Ari was pretty sure she was the only one who heard it. 

She was just about to respond when –

“Astoria, why did Cedric fucking Diggory just smile at you?” Pansy’s eyes were as big as saucers but she managed to keep her voice level. 

Ari was sure she might start squealing at any second. 

“People can smile at one another, but to answer your question, you remember that night when I ummm – er – bumped into you guys? I ran into him at the library before –”

“You did, huh? Have a nice little _chat_?” Draco’s mouth curled into a slight sneer.

Ari felt a twinge of exasperation, “As a matter of fact, yes, Draco. I did. He seemed like he needed help with something, and we talked a bit –”

He looked almost – 

_Crestfallen?_

“Oh. Well, right then.” He picked up his stride and walked faster towards the Great Hall, away from them.

“What – what just happened?”

“Astoria –“, Pansy’s flinty eyes glanced at hers, then looked once again, “Oh, you really don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?” Ari was really starting to feel incensed now.

_Was the it the notes? How much did he see –_

“Sweet, simple Astoria,” Pansy continued, full of mock-pity.

 _Maybe I can explain it to him somehow, those stupid fucking notes_ – “Pansy, just tell me.”

“He’s jealous.”

_What –_

“I really don’t think that’s it –"

Pansy cut her off, “You really are daft when it comes to him.”

\-----

Ari’s and Pansy’s attempts to talk to Draco during lunch were met with a sullen silence. Draco had situated himself between Crabbe and Goyle, listlessly picking at his lunch, apparently preferring to sneer at the table. It only added to Ari’s sense of unease. 

When it came time to head out to the grandstands, he left without a word or backwards glance.

“He’s acting like a complete git,” Ari said to Pansy, as they walked together. They both shivered slightly, a cold gust of wind piercing through their cloaks. 

Pansy merely shrugged and said back, “He’ll get his head out of his arse soon enough,” the usual spark in her eyes turned calculating, “Actually, I have an idea. You trust me?”

“Never,” Ari responded, grinning. 

“Perfect.” 

With his silvery blond hair and height, he was easily visible walking around 50 feet ahead. Ari could see that he was walking with someone, maybe even talking to them? Pansy increased her gait, grabbing Ari’s elbow. 

They spanned the distance easily, most students talking and laughing as they made their way to the stands. 

Pansy squeezed her hand once they could clearly make out Draco, “Follow my lead.”

“Okay?”

She skipped up to Draco, and in one fluid motion, wound her arm around his elbow, tucking her hand into her cloak. Ari could see his figure tense in surprise and then recoil slightly. 

_She wants me to do that?!_

“Wonderful day for a stroll, huh Draco? Oh, hi Blaise,” she said, flashing a grin that Ari was able to see in profile. 

“What are you doing, Parkinson?” Draco snapped. 

“Just enjoying my afternoon. What are you doing?”

_It’s now or never –_

She steadily walked up towards him. She wasn’t sure why she felt so nervous. 

“Currently, I am wondering what in Merlin you are up –”

Ari caught up to them and linked her arms with his, resting her hand on the inside of his elbow. The warmth of his body radiated through his cloak in the cold November air. 

“–To?!” his voice cracking in surprise.

His eyes grew wide in shock and embarrassment at his situation. Blaise Zabini, who was walking a short distance away, chuckled loudly. 

“Hi, Draco –”

She knew she was blushing. She smiled at him, trying to get him to relax. 

“What are you two doing?” he hissed.

“Like I said, we are enjoying our afternoon off getting to watch some volunteers potentially be killed by Merlin-knows-what. What could be better!” 

“I can think of several things, the first being you kindly stop touching me.” 

“Not until you stop acting like a dementor,” Pansy parried back in her singsong voice, causing Ari to giggle.

Draco eyed Ari warily, but did not make any attempt to get out of his new-found arm prison. 

“She’s not wrong, you know.”

Ari looked around. Students stood in slack-jawed astonishment, giving them a wide berth. Others whispered and pointed, laughing. 

_Oh, fuck off_ , Ari thought to herself. _People deserve to have fun._

They found themselves at the base of the wooden grandstands which soared into the air, enclosing a huge circular pit. Beautiful pennants representing each of the schools flapped in the biting wind. There were large doors at the base that led into the arena. The air crackled with expectation and excitement. Walking up into the stands, Pansy had cleverly situated herself to be one side of Draco, with Ari on the other. Draco glared at Ari and Pansy but said nothing. Blaise ended up sitting next to Ari.

Looking down into the pit below, Ari realized it was meant to portray a rocky outcropping, with huge boulders strewn about on uneven ground. The only flat area was a bare circle Ari deduced was for the dragon to nest with its eggs. It looked harsh, difficult to traverse, and dangerous.

She wondered how Cedric and Harry were doing in their tent. She knew in her heart it was probably not well. 

_Please be safe._

The noise in the air grew steadily louder as more and more students and teachers found their seats, in tandem with her anxiety. She knew they should come out relatively unscathed, but there was this little kernel of doubt --

_What if things changed?_

_What if the book got it wrong?_

“Would it kill Hogwarts to provide more heaters?” Pansy griped, rubbing her hands together, “It’s bloody freezing.”

“Bet you’re wishing for one of those fur hats right about now,” Draco said, arching an eyebrow. 

“With Krum underneath it, yes –”

Ari made an exaggerated gagging noise, “I’m going to start a new rule. You’re only allowed to mention Krum once a day. All in favor, say ay.”

“Ay,” Draco and Ari said in unison, to Pansy’s loud, “Nay!”

“The motion has passed with a majority vote,” Ari said in a serious voice, causing Blaise to start snickering. 

“Sorry, you probably have no idea what is happening –” 

“What! Unfair! I demand a recount! Blaise, you’re my friend, right –” 

“Don’t listen to her, she’ll attempt to bribe you,” Ari deadpanned. 

“Look at what she just did to me. You want no part of this,” Draco added gravely. 

Blaise held up his hands in surrender, “I’m not sure which sides to take here. I feel attacked,” though his comment was belied by his laugh.

Ari sneaked a quick look at Blaise. He was good looking in a way that set him apart from most other pointy faced Slytherins, with an innate sense of self confidence that gave him an easygoing, rumbling laugh. His rich copper complexion highlighted his hazel eyes and shortly cropped hair. 

“Whatever you do, don’t pick Pansy,” Ari said in a fake whisper, causing Pansy to angrily squawk in protest. 

At that moment, the dull roar of the crowd was cut off by Bagman’s amplified voice, announcing, “For the first task, our Champions shall be facing off against dragons to retrieve a golden egg!” to a collective gasp of the audience, followed by a clamor of voices. 

“Dragons, huh? Lucky for us we have an expert in our midst. Astoria, feel free to impart your wide-ranging knowledge on the subject,” Pansy crooned. 

Ari rolled her eyes and patently ignored her.

He soon announced that Cedric Diggory would be the first champion.

The air grew very still as the central doors to the area opened. She gasped.

Four handlers very carefully, wands out, had surrounded the first dragon and were leading it to its nesting area. And the dragon – 

How could Ari begin to describe what she was seeing? It was otherworldly, beautiful, and terrifying in equal measure. Its scales were a silver-blue, its long and tapered neck giving way to powerful legs and giant wings. The wings were more delicate looking than Ari had anticipated, almost translucent in the cold air, with a pronounced bone structure. As it breathed out, a small wisp of blue flame caught her eye. 

“Is this the dragon you’re named after?” she asked Draco softly. 

“I don’t – I don’t actually know,” she had caught him off guard, “Why do you ask?”

“Your eyes – they’re the same color –”

His eyes searched her face intensely for a second. 

The moment was broken by a loud whistle. Cedric appeared at the entrance in the arena. The roar and applause from the crowd was deafening as everyone was suddenly on their feet, hollering and cheering. 

To Ari, he looked small, insignificant even. Digging her gloved hands into her thighs, she felt her stomach drop like a lead weight.

_Please be okay – Please be okay – Please be –_

He ducked under the rocky outcrop as the dragon spewed fire at him, causing the outside of the rock to glow in a blueish tinge before fading. Every movement of his corresponded to an “Oooh” or sharp intake of breath from the onlookers. When he was within 50 feet, Ari saw him ready his wand at a smaller boulder near him. 

The rock transformed into a giant peacock, with beautiful iridescent teal blue feathers – 

_Not a dog? Wait –_

The hostile peacock charged the dragon, distracting it away from Cedric, who stealthily moved from boulder to boulder. 

He was so close to the golden egg; Ari could see he only had a short distance to go. The peacock was still taunting it from it a distance. The dragon was angry, breathing blue fire in its wake. He must have been within 10 feet when –

The dragon saw his movement out of the corner of its eye and exhaled a stream of blue fire at Cedric, hitting him in the face. She could see the angry red mark beginning to appear over one eye, curling down past his cheek. 

Ari gulped down air as Bagman yelled, “What a clever move – pity it didn’t work!”

_He’s going to be okay – He has to be –_

“Your boyfriend is going to be fine, Astoria,” Draco huffed under his breath. 

Ari disregarded Draco’s passive aggressive comment for a moment, instead keeping her eyes glued on Cedric. He kept at it even through his injury, darting back and forth, trying to work in tandem with the aggressive peacock’s movements. The dragon, having a harder time keeping up with two adversaries, kept getting confused. Eventually, the peacock had moved the dragon far enough from its nest that Cedric took a chance, grabbing at the golden egg. 

Snatching it in his hands, he cut a path through the boulders, as the handlers immediately set to work subduing the dragon. The crowd erupted in cheers. 

Ari felt relief wash over her in a wave. _He’s all right –_

Although Cedric’s score was reduced slightly by his burn, nothing could diminish his huge grin, which could be seen clear as day from the audience. 

While the handlers were bringing in the second dragon, Ari observed Draco’s face. On the outside, he appeared somewhat cool and detached, as if he was watching a Quidditch match. However, Ari noticed that a few of his wavy locks had escaped the hair gel he typically used. His pale skin had high points of color at his cheeks, but Ari felt it was from more than the cold. When he noticed Ari, he looked at her with a challenging glint in his eye. 

_Are you really jealous?_

“It’s not what you think, and for the record, we’re just friends,” she said. 

“Oh yeah – and meeting him in the library and having his name in your notes means nothing.”

 _Pansy was right._ She held his eyes levelly as she said, “It really doesn’t.”

_There are so many bigger things at play, Draco. If only I could tell you, if only –_

For the second time in less than twenty minutes, his stared at her, a host of emotions flickering through his eyes. 

_If only you weren’t you._

“So, can you stop – whatever you’re doing, and go back to being my friend?” the irritation in her voice was evident, but Ari could care less at this point, “When you’re mad at me because I’ve said something stupid, that’s one thing. This felt – felt like another thing entirely.”

He didn’t respond, but his eyes didn’t harden to the criticism either, if anything they showed a slight amusement. A smirk played on his features.

_What did I say now?_

She felt a hand on her knee as it gave a small squeeze. Even in that brief moment, his hand felt like a small heater, warmth diffusing through her layers as it settled on her skin.

She yelped and glared at him in mock-indignation, realizing it wasn’t a smirk at all. He was smiling. 

She was sure of it. Her glare faltered. She was smiling, too.

A loud voice echoed, “Very good, and now, Fleur Delacour!”

Fleur’s dragon was slightly smaller than the previous Swedish Short-Snout, with brilliant emerald green scales. When it flapped its wings, the color of its wingspan reminded Ari of the Slytherin common room – a translucent, murky green. It only roared once, seemingly more subdued than the other, but the sound it uttered was curiously musical, like the final crescendo of a symphony. 

When Fleur entered to the polite clapping of Beauxbatons and whoops from everyone else, Ari leaned back to catch a glimpse of Pansy’s reaction. She was holding herself ramrod straight, tensed, as if her body had been cemented to the bleachers.

She desperately wished she could help support Pansy. 

She whispered to Draco, “I can’t explain this now and you’re going to have to trust me, but can you hold Pansy’s hand?”

“I – what?”

“Just say it’s from me. I think she’ll understand.” 

“I really don’t –”

Ari laid a plaintive hand on his arm, “ _Please_.”

His eyes widened, betraying a thousand questions, but did as he was told. He leaned over to Pansy, talking to her in a low tone. Instead of holding hands, they ended up linking arms as they did before, although Pansy huddled closer to Draco. 

Fleur brought out her wand and began muttering a short incantation. At this, the dragon swayed, slumping over. It appeared to have been charmed to sleep. The stands became quiet, caught in the moment. She tiptoed towards it, slowly getting closer and closer. Her wand stayed at the ready.

When she was within striking distance, the dragon suddenly wheezed, a melodic sound that sounded like flutes. With this came a small gust of fire, aimed at Fleur’s skirts. She tried to evade it but the stream of fire was too fast, immediately setting the material ablaze. Several people in the audience gasped. 

Pansy cried out, before clamping her hand on her mouth. Draco gave her arm a comforting nudge. Fleur quickly used her wand to douse her skirt in water, somehow managing to continue to look elegant. The silence was palpable, as if no one dared breathe, while Fleur advanced to the dragon’s side. Cautiously, she reached over the dragon’s massive front claws and seized the golden egg. 

At this moment, the audience erupted in cheers. Even Beauxbatons forgot about decorum and were on their feet, with Madam Maxime proudly congratulating her in French. 

Ari reached over Draco and gave Pansy’s hand a brief squeeze. “Not so bad, right?”

Pansy squeezed back and grinned. Draco watched the interaction with a raised eyebrow but said nothing. 

Viktor’s Dragon, a Chinese Fireball, was a perfect counterpart to his reserved personality, with scales a deep scarlet red, and a halo of spikes around its face. Clearly ornery, it breathed an angry stream of red-hot fire at the handlers at every opportunity. 

“Krum’s got a bit of a challenge on his hands,” Draco said lowly. 

Blaise whistled in agreement. 

“I’m sure he’ll perform beautifully,” Pansy responded in a reverent tone, causing Blaise’s deep laughter to reappear. 

“She really never quits, does she?”

“Oh, you have no idea –”

Viktor’s hunched appearance caused the onlookers to break out into a frenzy. Ari could clearly hear the screams of both feminine and masculine sounding voices in the audience as he confidently swerved and dodged the Chinese Fireball’s attacks. 

Ducking out from a boulder, a green light shot out from his wand. As the spell made contact, the dragon snarled in agony, a great stream of fire emitting from its nostrils. Swiping at its eye, it began stamping at the ground indiscriminately. Oblivious to anything but its torment, the dragon trampled several of its own eggs in the process. Ari could hear a mournful wail come from somewhere in the teacher’s section, and suspected Hagrid was its root cause. 

“What did he do to it?” Pansy asked, voice aglow. 

“Conjunctivitis curse, I suspect. Bloody brilliant move,” Draco responded.

Ari had to disagree, “I don’t know about that. Look at how it’s suffering. Isn’t that a tad – well, cruel?”

“Yeah, but isn’t that point?” 

“Malfoy, I have to agree with Astoria on this,” Blaise said, earning a small smile of thanks from Ari. Draco snorted in derision, “The dragon’s been dropped here without any cause, and now it has to defend itself. Blinding it seems to be going too far.”

Ari nodded in agreement. 

Viktor boldly advanced on the dragon. When it had spun away slightly in its pain, he bounded down and grabbed the golden egg, to the resounding roar from the crowd. 

“That was incredible,” Pansy said dreamily.

“It was mental what he did,” switching to a bored drawl, Draco added, “Now it’s Scarhead’s turn. Let’s see what idiotic scheme he has up his sleeve.” 

“Could you not call him that?” Ari immediately sniped back.

“What?” Draco said indignantly, though a smirk was creeping up his features, “He does have a scar on his forehead.”

A team of handlers, four more than the others required, was leading the dragon into the enclosure. Its angry roars reverberated through the arena. 

Of course, Harry’s dragon would be the worst. Midnight black scales with a huge wingspan, it was easily the biggest of the four. Yellow eyes angrily observed its surroundings as a stream of white-hot fire poured from its mouth, shooting at anything in its path. One of the handlers was burned and had to be taken away. Guarding its clutch of eggs in-between its front claws with an intensity that would rival a mother grizzly bear, Ari’s heart was in her throat. 

_Oh, Harry._

At the sound of the whistle, Ari’s eyes keenly looked for Harry’s form, hoping that he could pull this off one more time. At his entrance, the crowd was screaming. Ari was on her feet, clapping and yelling in support while other Slytherins loudly booed. 

Draco had refused to get up at all and was sitting around looking uninterested. Ari rolled her eyes at him. 

“Accio Firebolt!” Harry yelled. 

That got Draco’s attention, “Potter’s seriously not planning to _fly_ , is he?”

“Apparently –”

His broom came whizzing through the air, into his awaiting hand. The noise was deafening, everyone around straining to see what would happen next. Harry ascended higher and higher into the air, until he was a small blotch of color against the light blue sky. 

Then, he was in a nosedive, free falling closer and closer to the ground, features becoming animated as he hurtled closer to the dragon. _Was he actually enjoying himself?_ Ari thought to herself. He feinted to the right just as the stream of fire exploded out towards him, spiraling around and upwards once more. The Hungarian horntail followed him, head whipping around to try and keep up with his movements. He plunged towards the ground once more before diving to the left. This time, the dragon had figured out his movements and while he missed the stream of fire, its tail spikes slammed into Harry’s left shoulder, ripping his robes. 

Ari, along with most in the crowd, screamed. Everyone was standing. Her hand squeezed. He was still on his broom, but she could see his grimace in pain. He dodged to the right and left, daring the dragon to move –

Its neck was stretching up, trying to meet Harry. He rose up a little higher, the dragon followed. It was enraged now, trying to get him with its teeth. Its wings spread out, testing the air, considering –

That was all Harry needed. He dropped toward the ground, as fast as his broom would allow, reaching out to towards the egg with his good hand –

And there it was, in his hands. 

Ari was screaming as loud as her lungs would allow as he soared towards the clouds. She was jubilant, he had _done it_ –

Her consciousness came plunging back to earth. She felt a weight in her right hand, solidly and real that wasn’t there before. She looked down. It was Draco’s hand.

She looked at him wonderingly as he looked back –

_When? How –_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all! This chapter! It took awhile, but man was it fun to write. 
> 
> I'm always the most nervous about these scenes as they're some of the biggest in the book. When it's just Ari and Draco I can go off and do my own thing, but with these you have to stay relatively true to the og work while still putting a slightly new perspective on things. I hope you liked it!
> 
> I also want to take this time to say thank you for all of the lovely comments and kudos I've received. It's such a fantastic feeling that you guys want to read this and you're interested in this story, I can't begin to tell you. So thank you so, so much <3


	15. Herbology & Other Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari makes a new friend and gets slapped by a plant. Usual Hogwarts stuff.

December hit Hogwarts with a pounding sleet storm, causing the corridors to become even colder than before. The Slytherin common room at night had turned almost pitch black, and Ari was grateful for the huge fireplaces in her dormitory and most of the classrooms. 

The one place where there was no fireplace was Herbology. While typically humid within the greenhouses, now it had become damp, cold, and miserable. Even Professor Sprout’s emphasis on having a strong constitution through gardening and tilling no longer kept them warm, and Ari and Pansy were consistently freezing. 

Professor Sprout had gathered them in a semicircle around crates full of purple bulbs. “Today, you will be replanting Bouncing Bulbs. Please take care when you are moving them as they can be quite – resistant towards changes in their surroundings.” 

She gestured to plant beds on the opposite side of the greenhouse, allowing students to stand where they pleased. 

_Maybe this is my chance to get to know Neville–_

Up to this point, she hadn't been sure how to approach the second task. She knew the key was with Neville. Maybe if she got to know him a bit, she could then introduce gillyweed to him, knowing he had already received the book from Moody. 

Ari dallied in choosing a spot, carefully watching where Neville was standing. Luckily, he had chosen a spot that wasn’t so far from where the Slytherins were now working. Situating herself on the opposite side of Draco and Pansy, she managed to be next to his planting bed.

The Bouncing Bulbs were jumping up and down agitatedly in response to all of the movement. Ari carefully set to work digging neat little rows of holes and was hoping that by moving them quickly and without fuss, she could transplant them to their new home without one getting loose. 

It didn’t end up working quite as she hoped. Two had almost smacked her in the face, and one had been able to bounce away, destroying her previous hard work. 

Looking around towards her friends, she saw that one of Pansy’s bulbs had wriggled out of her grasp and was jumping at her face, trying to get in a good blow. Draco had a bit of dirt on his nose and was sneering at his bulb, trying to force it into his planter. When Draco caught her looking at him, she grinned, causing him to blush. Motioning at her nose, she watched, laughing, as his as his expression turned to horror at the realization that his nose was dirty.

She turned to watch Neville. He was absorbed in his work, completely within his element. While typically very awkward and self-conscious around others, with plants he displayed an innate confidence and unabashed love that Ari admired. While no one would believe her at this point, Ari could see the beginnings of the tall and attractive man he would become. 

“You have a great technique, you know that?”, she said, looking at him. 

“Er – oh! You mean me? I um – I guess so?” he said, blushing slightly.

Gesturing to her miserable planting bed, she laughed at his perplexed expression. “I know, I’m awful at this. I thought I could dig the holes ahead of time, but the bulbs seem to have figured out my plans. Do you think you could teach me?”

“Um – sure, yeah. Though there isn’t much to it.”

“I very much doubt that,” she said, causing him to laugh awkwardly. 

“My secret is that I er – well, I – I talk to them.”

“You talk to them?” she asked, becoming genuinely curious. 

“Yeah – er, you see, I just tell them what I’m doing and what’s about to happen. They seem to – you know – understand better that way.” 

Neville’s ears had turned red, Ari could tell that he was becoming flustered. 

“I’ll give it a shot,” she said, smiling encouragingly at him. He only turned redder.

“Actually wait – question! Do you dig the hole first, or afterwards?”

He seemed surprised that she was taking this seriously, “Dig the hole first, but one by one. That way they can’t bounce into the other holes.”

“Oh yeah, that makes sense!”

Carefully, she eyed the bulbs that had yet to be planted in her crate. Taking a calming breath, on her exhale she picked one up, which immediately began squirming in protest. 

Trying to take Neville’s advice, she said to it softly, “Hi plant. I’m going to replant you over there, okay?”, gesturing with her hands.

The bulb began to wriggle harder – 

“It’s moving like that because you moved it, not because you – ahh – talked to it.”

 _Oh!_ Steadying her hands, she started talking to the bulb again, “I know, I’m sorry I moved you. It’ll be better soon. You’ll like your new home. I promise.” 

Very carefully, and with as little jostling as possible, she brought it to the hole she had dug. The bulb had calmed considerably. Just as she pushed the last bit of dirt over the bulb, she exclaimed, “Neville, you’re a genius!”

Moving her hand up to give him a high hive, she immediately realized that high fives were not a thing in the wizarding world, and instead clapped him on the arm. 

He turned beet red and mumbled, “Oh it’s er – nothing. I should uhh – get back to my plants.”

_But you’re done –_

Wondering what had changed, Ari looked up and saw grey-blue eyes bored into her and Neville. 

_Really, Draco?!_

Smiling brightly, she told Neville softly, “Don’t mind him, his bark is much worse than his bite. In fact, I’ll bring them over here so you can show them what you’ve showed me. You’ve been such a big help—”

“I would really rather you, uhh –“

Ari was already calling over Pansy and Draco. Draco marched towards them in a few long strides, Ari could swear Neville was getting smaller by the second – 

“You guys won’t believe what Neville just showed me,” nodding encouragingly at Neville, she continued, “I guess if you talk to the plants, they are much more amenable to being moved.” 

Pansy looked highly amused.

“See, look –”

She demonstrated, watching Pansy’s eyes grow bigger. Draco’s eyebrow was arched, a slight sarcastic jeer etched into his face. Neville looked slightly green around the edges, as if at any moment he might become violently ill. 

“You guys should try –” 

“Why would I do something that looks so mental –”

“Draco – _Try it_.”

“Well I think this is an absolutely smashing idea. Talking to plants, who would have thought.”

Pansy went over to her plant bed. Draco trudged behind her. She watched as Pansy grabbed one of the bulbs, eyes full of determination.

Draco was pointedly refusing to do anything. Ari, who had finished, walked up next to him, “I see someone is not taking Neville’s fantastic advice.”

“There’s no way you will ever catch me talking to a plant.”

“You’ve seen how good he is at this. Draco – just try it.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“I refuse.”

“Why you are being so stubborn?”

“Because this idea is absolutely ridic –” 

Pansy called out, completely oblivious to Draco and Ari’s bickering, “—Merlin, it actually worked!” 

“See?”

“Astoria – no.”

“Suit yourself – ”

Neville was so dumbfounded by the conversation he was witnessing he didn’t see Pansy till she was right next to him, causing him to jump. “So Longbottom, er – Neville, you think you can be my Herbology partner?”

Ari was surprised Neville didn’t faint on the spot. 

\-----

_Miss Greengrass –  
I would like to speak with you about recent developments regarding your health. Please meet with me tomorrow at 6pm to discuss in further detail._

_Dumbledore  
P.S. – The pumpkin pasties are great this time of year, aren’t they? _

Understanding the hint to enter his office, she did have to admit they were fantastic. 

\-----

Dumbledore was at his desk, walled in by several large stacks of parchment papers. “Miss Greengrass! Right on time,” he said, as they sorted themselves of their own accord. 

“Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. Thank you for wanting to meet with me.”

“It’s my pleasure. Would you like a sherbet lemon?” he asked, motioning to the bowl as she sat down. 

“Oh! Um, yes, I will take one, actually.”

Popping it in her mouth, she savored the sour lemon flavor as it settled on her tongue. It reminded her – 

“Delicious, aren’t they?” 

It reminded her of home, of long weekend afternoons spent as a kid at her grandmother’s house, baking cookies for her parents. Feeling a lump in her throat, she focused on Dumbledore, “Oh, yes, they’re – lovely. They don’t really make candies like this anymore, do they?”

Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively, “Not in the magical world. I’m glad to know someone else is a fan of muggle sweets. Feel free to take as many as you like. I spoke with Madam Pomfrey, and I wanted to get a chance to talk to you about the visit with your healer, and what it means for your time at Hogwarts,” he paused, “That was an exceptionally brave thing you did, stopping the jinxes.”

“I – I guess so?”, she felt tongue-tied, “It just – it felt like – the right thing to do, even though looking back on it, it seems a very foolish decision. The only thing I could think of is what if someone got hurt by it? I would rather it – it be me, than someone else, I guess – ”

_Like Hermione._

“I think it shows a true depth of character, Miss Greengrass, that you were willing to do that for your fellow students.”

 _Really – because I think it was incredibly dumb_ – “Oh – I, thank you –” 

“And it also helped reveal something about your blood malediction?” he prompted. 

“Well yes, but it doesn’t seem to be a good thing.”

“Even bad things can be instrumental in figuring out the root of a mystery.” 

“I guess, but Professor Dumbledore, how am I going to go through life without being hexed or jinxed ever? What happens if I do? Will my fainting get worse?”

A thousand questions began spiraling in her mind. And Defense Against the Dark Arts – how was she going to –

_How am I going to save Harry and Cedric now –_

Dumbledore patiently smiled at her, “I have complete confidence your questions will be revealed in time. However, we must focus on the here and now. I presume you’re worried about Defense Against the Dark Arts? If so, not to be worried – we can have you work on other things when your class is working on defensive spell casting.” 

_Great, just terrific._

“I also have some ideas for where you could learn more about this mysterious blood curse of yours,” he said, handing a slip of parchment to Ari, “Take this to Madam Pince. She’ll know what to do with it.” 

Ari knew finding out whatever that was would have to wait. 

\-----

“Working on other things” ended up being dusting the bookshelves and watching her friends react to the Imperius Curse, much to Ari’s extreme frustration. It wasn’t that she would like to be under the spell, quite the opposite, but doing nothing left her feeling powerless and weak. She also hated the speculative glances she got from her classmates, trying to figure out why she could not participate. 

_And dusting shelves? Really? That asshat couldn’t think of anything else I could be doing –_

_He probably doesn’t care since she he can’t practice on me_ , she thought angrily. 

She heard laughter and swiveled her head around to see what was happening. A semicircle of students surrounded Neville, who was performing several cartwheels, an effervescent look on his face. Pansy caught her eye, giggling. Moody was keeping it deliberately light, and yet there was an undercurrent of darkness Ari could feel, creeping around the corners of the room. She shivered.

“Malfoy, your turn.”

She saw Draco confidently walk toward the center of the room, a haughty look on his face, chin raised defiantly. Ari wondered if he was afraid. 

“Imperio –” Moody hissed.

His face became instantly relaxed and softened, as if he were walking on a cloud. He kicked his legs apart, his hands went up, Ari could see he was making the motion to begin doing jumping jacks, several of their classmates snickered –

And then he stopped. He grimaced as his arms spread-eagled and then fell inwards, his body sagging into a crouching position. His hands grabbed his head, his eyes blazed open with force. His eyes looked up towards Moody, eyes full of venom –

 _Draco is fighting it_ , the thought hitting Ari like a ton of lead bricks. 

Moody lowered his wand. “Interesting, Malfoy. Very interesting,” he said coolly, as his glass eye roved around the room. 

Through the crowd, Draco’s eyes found hers. Giving him a small thumbs up, she smiled at him reassuringly, causing him to cock his head to the side and smirk. 

\-----

“What did it feel like?” Ari asked Draco, as they were walking to the common room.

“At first, relaxing. Like everything in my head cleared away. There was this voice in my head telling me to do jumping jacks. And that seemed like a great idea. But then, I realized it was Moody’s voice,” scowling at the thought, he continued, “And I never want that madman’s voice in my head. I tried to fight it. Then, there was a lot of pain. It was like I was at war with myself.” 

“That was bloody mental what you did – Potter was the only one who fought it, too,” Pansy added.

“Took him four tries too –” Draco quipped back, grinning. 

“I’m really – proud of you, Draco –” 

A sound stopped Ari from continuing. They were taking the long way to the common room, that took them by the potions stores and classroom. Around the corner, they heard a small scraping noise, that wouldn’t have been out of place, except that it was late at night –

_What is Snape doing this late?_

Acting out of impulse, she shoved Draco and Pansy against the wall, pulling them around a darkened corner. 

“What are you doi—”

“Shhh!” Ari commanded in a harsh whisper, pointing at the door to the storage room. They peeked around; the door was inched open. The entrance was pitch black as a hunched figure in a black cloak furtively glanced around.

_It couldn’t be –_

One large eye stood out as it looked around of its own accord – 

_Moody._

She could hear a sharp intake of breath as her two companions came to the same conclusion. He quickly walked in the opposite direction, prosthetic leg making a muffled clanking noise in the stone corridor. 

Just as they could no longer hear his footsteps Pansy and Draco said simultaneously, “What the fuck was that?”

“Why was Moody in the potions stores?” 

_The Polyjuice potion ingredients_ – “I – I don’t know –” 

“That looked awfully suspicious, did you see the way he looked around?” 

“Something definitely wasn’t right,” Ari agreed, chewing on her lip, “Should we tell Snape?”

All three stood silently, contemplating. Draco was the first to speak up, “We should wait. We don’t know what this means, or what he was up to. It might backfire on us if we say something without further evidence.” 

“You sure? Not saying something might create further problems down the line…” she said, thinking over the seemingly thousands of times Harry had hid things from his friends or family, only for it to bite him in ass later. 

“We saw Moody leaving the potions stores. But that’s it, Astoria. We all know he’s mental, but that works against us. Maybe that’s his default way of going around the school, or maybe Snape sent him there. And if we accuse him without any proof and it turns out we misinterpreted things; we’ll be the ones who were following him. That could end very badly for us.” 

Ari couldn’t argue with Draco’s logic. 

Pansy nodded at this, “Plus, we never know what other things we might…uncover in the meantime.”

There was that Slytherin cunning Ari had heard so much about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating today! To everyone else, Happy Thursday!
> 
> Not a whole lot of funny notes about this chapter, although I will say taking the odd sentences that she added to the books and creating whole scenes out of them has been super fun.
> 
> To celebrate the holiday, and also because of what the next chapters are like, this weekend will be a double release! You'll quickly understand why ;D


	16. Hogsmeade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari finally gets to taste a real butterbeer.

“Will everyone pay attention? Class is not finished just yet!” McGonagall called out to the class; exasperation apparent in her tone, “Now that I have everyone’s attention, including Mr. Malfoy,” at this Draco’s lip curled, “I have an announcement. On Christmas night, Hogwarts will be hosting the Yule Ball. This is traditionally held during the Triwizard Tournament and will be open to fourth years and above –”

Pansy’s eyes had become massive, she was staring at Ari with a delighted expression. 

“Dress robes will be required. I do not have to remind you to represent your houses and Hogwarts well. You are dismissed.”

“A ball! On Christmas! Astoria, you and I must plan our dresses, I must write to Mum right away –” she hurried away to the common room, ahead of Draco and Ari. Draco was quiet – too quiet. Ari looked over at him. He looked almost pensive, “You okay over there? McGonagall finally transfigure your tongue to stone?”

“Very funny, Astoria. I – er, yes,” he looked up at her, suddenly, “Say, we should go to Hogsmeade this weekend.” 

His eyes were brighter than usual, more animated. _Maybe he’s excited about the idea, too?_

 _I finally get to try a real butterbeer_! “Hogsmeade? Yes, that sounds perfect! I need to do some shopping anyways –”

“Could I – could I talk to you about something when we’re there?” his voice was soft. 

“Oh – umm – yeah, you can’t tell me now? Is everything okay?” she found she had dropped her voice a few octaves to match his. 

“There’s – something I want to show you.”

“Okay – it’s a date then?”

“A date?” he said, lopsidedly grinning. 

Ari rolled her eyes, “You know what I mean.”

“It’s a date,” he said, grin spreading to the other side of his face.

\-----

Pansy met Ari’s news with a knowing glance. “Hogsmeade, huh? That’s how he plans to do it?”

“Do what?”

“You’ll see.”

“I hate when you’re like this,” Ari responded flatly. She had resigned herself to Pansy being an insufferable know-it-all by this point. 

“I know, but it’s worth it. I promise. I’ll meet you guys there later.”

“Yes, that sounds perfect. I want to get a butterbeer and do some Christmas shopping if you’re game? I’m so excited, Pansy!” 

“It’ll be even better than you think it is,” the gleam in her eye growing brighter. 

\-----

She met Draco in the common room. She was so thrilled at the prospect of going to Hogsmeade she beamed down at him from the steps. Draco grinned back at her, but his eyes almost looked–

 _Nervous?_ Ari shook off the thought. 

_Maybe he’s going to show me the Shrieking Shack, who knows –_

She found herself shivering as they walked to Hogsmeade together. It had snowed the night before, covering the trees and path in a pristine white beauty. Ari felt like she had stepped into a picture book. 

“It’s really beautiful today, don’t you think?”

“Oh I – yes,” he looked at her with a sudden intensity, “It’s beautiful today.” 

“How are you never outwardly cold, though? It’s not fair, you know.” 

He thought about it for a moment, “It’s probably due to the manor.” 

“Oh? How so?”

“You probably don’t remember, but you’ve actually been there.”

 _Astoria went to Malfoy Manor_? “Yeah, sorry – I must not have that memory back yet –” 

“It was a long time ago.”

“But you remember?”

He chuckled slightly, “Yes, of course I remember. I didn’t lose my memory,” he said, smirking at her, “The wing I grew up in could be pretty drafty and cold. I remember you complained to your mother about it. I think I got used to it. It is bloody freezing today, though.”

“Wait – stop for a second. You had your own wing? How big is your house?”

“It’s not a house, it’s a _manor_ –” 

“Fine, I’ll let that comment slide for now. Were there ghosts?” Ari’s eyes had become comically wide as she imagined all sorts of horrifying Gothic ghosts terrorizing Draco as a child. 

“I mean – yes, I tried to ignore them – wait, I still can’t believe you think a house is the same thing as a manor –”

“You’re hopeless, you know that? What I mean is that it must have not been the most enjoyable thing to experience as a young child.”

He seemed surprised by where the conversation had gone, “Why do you think that?”

“I mean – cold, giant houses, excuse me, ‘manors’,” she said, putting air quotes around the word, “And spooky ghosts, they’re fun in theory and have a lot of history, but they’re also scary and lonely, right? Especially when you’re little.”

“I – I, it sufficed,” he said quietly, but there was a loneliness to his words.

“You can always talk to me about it, I mean, if you want?”

“Maybe some other time,” he shook his head slightly, then grinned, “I have something to show you, remember?”

“As long as it’s not the Shrieking Shack –”

“Why in the name of Merlin would I take you to the Shrieking Shack?”, he asked, chuckling. 

_Because you can be a giant jerk and I don’t trust you_ – “I don’t know! You can get – you are – ugh!”

He was fully laughing at this point, “Well, I have to take you now.”

“Don’t you dare!” she said, eyes narrowing, “I would never forgive you.”

_I knew it, I knew that’s what his plan was._

“The old Astoria wasn’t afraid of old, creaking houses –”

 _How well did he know the real Astoria_? “Well you know, people can change!”

“They become more scared over time?” 

“When it’s a creepy shack that moans at you –” 

“Little Astoria is afraid of the scary shack? Do you need someone to protect you –”

_He is going to get it – I’ll – I’ll –_

Looking around, she quickly realized what she could do. She grinned to herself evilly. _That works –_

Running to a small snowdrift that accumulated, she reached down and scooped up some snow, lobbing it at him. By the time he realized what was happening, it had hit his chest with a small poof, exploding all over the front of his cloak. 

She startled cackling. 

“How – dare – you –” 

He was stopped by another incoming snowball, this one hitting him in the stomach. 

“That’s it!” 

He was crouching down to grab a bit of snow -

Her grin was unstoppable now, “You know Draco, you do have to catch me first, right?”

And with that, she was off down the lane, cloak whipping wildly around her. She felt a snowball hit her back and then a whoosh of air as someone catapulted themselves on top of her, throwing her into a snow pile.

She was breathing hard as she scrabbled to get on her back, grabbing fistfuls of snow to throw into his face. Little tufts of snow were sticking to his hair as he held her arms down, staring down at her. Laughing. 

She was laughing too, breathless from the cold and the run. She must have looked a mess, but she hadn’t felt this alive, this _happy_ – “All right, all right, I surrender!”

“That’s not fair – how are you – so _fast_?!”

He grinned, “Quidditch practice. Before that, running from ghosts.” 

She reached up, brushing the snow from his ice blond hair. Her fingers stopped on a lock of hair, remembering, “What was it you wanted to tell me?”

His eyes grew wide. He pulled her up, so they were both standing, reached out to remove a clump of snow from her hair. She now knew she looked like an absolute disaster. 

“Astoria – I –“, his eyes were unnaturally bright, bright spots of color were on his cheeks, “I was wondering –” 

“Good morning you two!”

Astoria turned. 

It was _Blaise?_

“Blaise, sorry, could you er – give us a moment?”

Her eyes met Draco’s. They were more guarded now, she could almost detect a hint of disappointment?

“It’s – it’s fine.”

_It doesn’t seem fine --_

Blaise cocked his head slightly to the side, “Did something happen? Why are you both covered in snow?”

“Snowball fight,” she said, grinning.

“Awh man! I’m sorry I missed it. I would have killed to see Astoria pelting you with snowballs.”

“It was – it was certainly something,” Draco responded dryly. 

“He deserved it,” she added in a conspiratorial whisper, causing Blaise to start laughing. 

They started walking down the lane towards Hogsmeade. 

Blaise’s personality was cheerful and bubbly, Ari was somewhat surprised he had been put into Slytherin. He chatted about the recent snow and the weather, their classes this year. Draco seemed his shadow, distant and quiet. Ari couldn’t quite put her finger on what had happened. They were having such a good morning –

“Say, Astoria, I must confess I was hoping to see you today.”

It was Ari’s turn to be confused, “Yeah? What makes you say that, Blaise?”

“Has anyone asked you to the Yule Ball yet?” 

_The Yule Ball?!_

“Err – no –”

At that, Draco stepped on a branch, the snap creating a sharp crack in the still air. He was further behind them, hunched, hand curling into a slight fist. 

_What is going on?!_

She realized they had stopped walking. Blaise seemed oblivious to Draco behind them. 

His hazel eyes were looking at her directly, unguarded, “I was wondering then, if would you like to go with me?”

_Oh! Wait – what –_

A voice was telling her to say no. She couldn’t exactly surmise why, she had no reason not to – “Errr – I guess – that would be nice –” she said, smiling at him softly. 

Blaise beamed, an open smile that struck Ari with how attractive he was, “Great! That’s – that’s great! Do you maybe want to get some butterbeer in town together?” 

“I umm – sure? Hey Draco, do you want to get a butterbeer with us?”

Draco’s face darkened, “No, I don’t think –” he blinked hard, and then smirked, “I have some things to do in Hogsmeade. You two enjoy yourselves.” 

He walked ahead, never looking back. Ari stared at his retreating figure, comprehending that his smirk had a harder edge than Ari had seen in a while. It almost seemed like he was taking on a character role, as if he was pretending –

It suddenly clicked – 

_He was going to ask me to the ball, wasn’t he?_

\-----

Ari was torn between chasing after Draco or going with Blaise, but she figured that there was nothing she could do about the situation for now. 

Hogsmeade, and particularly the high street, was beautiful in a fairytale, almost unbelievable way. Most of the buildings were of medieval stonework or timber-framed, with thatched roofs. She realized with a start that most of the buildings most be at least over 600 years old. Still covered with a thick layer of snow, many had Christmas wreaths or enchanted candles in the windows. Without any cars, the street was packed with students and vendors, all walking, talking, and laughing.

It was possibly the most romantic thing Ari had ever seen. 

_I wish Draco was here –_

Looking around, she realized he was nowhere to be seen, and had absolutely no idea where he could have run off to in such a short amount of time. 

Blaise led her to the Three Broomsticks, and with some finagling was able to get them a table. While he was procuring their butterbeers, Ari had a chance to really look around. Inside, it was all wood, but exuded a warmth and coziness that felt very comfortable and lived in. She realized it probably hadn’t changed much from when it was first built, several hundred years ago. 

Blaise had come back with two giant foamy mugs of butterbeer, which she eyed with extreme anticipation. “I got us the kind Madam Rosmerta brews specially, it’s my favorite,” he said. 

“Thank you for getting me one–”

“Oh, of course. It gives me an opportunity to get to know you better, right?” he said, flashing a grin at her. 

_Man, Blaise is smooth_ , she thought as she took the mug into her hands. It was warm. She smelled the sweetness of the butterscotch and something woodsy and spicy – cinnamon. 

_And it tasted incredible_. Her tastebuds were surrounded by the sweetness mixed with the cinnamon, enveloping her in butterscotch heaven. Not cloyingly sweet at all, the warmth diffused through her insides as she took a deep gulp. 

_I wonder what the regular one tastes like –_

“Have you never tried this version of butterbeer before?” Blaise asked, watching her reaction. 

Ari blushed, which made Blaise smile. “I er—no, no I haven’t. It’s amazing, how did you know to order it?” 

“Oh! The – the Weasley twins. They suggested it,” he said, his own cheeks becoming slightly darker. Ari wondered if it was from the warmth of the drink. 

“You hang out with the Weasley twins? And you’re in Slytherin?”

He laughed, “Sometimes, yes. It started out by happenstance, but since they know every little secret to Hogwarts, knowing them comes with its perks –”

“Astoria! And – Blaise!” came Pansy's voice. She sat down, having the quick-wittedness to not show outward surprise, though her eyes had giant question marks in their depths. 

“Pansy – let me grab you a butterbeer –”

“Blaise, you’re a darling but you really don’t have to –”

“Nonsense! Give me a second, you two,” he said, getting up. 

As soon as he was at the counter, Pansy harshly whispered to Ari, “Okay, why the fuck are you with Blaise? Where’s Draco?”

“Long story, but the short of it is, Blaise asked me to the Yule Ball –”

“WHAT?!”

“I know.”

“And you said –”

“Yes.”

“You said _yes_ – wait, where was Draco?”

“He was er – there.”

“Let me get this straight, you said yes to Blaise while Draco was standing there?!”

“Please stop repeating –“

Blaise had come back with the butterbeer, which Pansy graciously accepted. Easily switching gears, Pansy was able to regale Blaise and Ari with tales about her mom’s current attempts to redecorate their country estate, which left Ari and Blaise in stitches.

Finishing their beers, Pansy and Ari were able to extricate themselves away by saying they had Christmas shopping to do. 

“Astoria – I was wondering if I could maybe see you later?” Blaise asked, as they were getting their things together.

Pansy’s eyes narrowed, but she playfully responded, “You can’t have her all to yourself, Mr. Zabini –”

“Hah! Fair enough. I’ll see you soon, yeah?” 

Ari could have sworn he winked as he walked out. 

Immediately after leaving, Pansy pulled her into a nearby alleyway, “So you mean to tell me, I left you two alone for maybe 2-3 hours, and somehow during that time you end up deciding to go to the ball with fucking Blaise?! And Draco was there?!”

“Yes – well it’s complicated. Hear me out.” 

Pansy stamped her foot impatiently. 

“So, Draco and I were walking to Hogsmeade, and I could tell he wanted to say something, but I wasn’t sure what. And right as he was about to say something – Blaise pops up out of nowhere and just asks, and I couldn’t think of a reason to say no. And then Draco said he had ‘something to do’, and I have no idea where he is now… Draco was going to ask me, wasn’t he?”

“ _Of course_ he was going to ask you, who else would he ask?”

“I don’t know! Maybe – you?”

“Me?! Why would he ask me?!”

 _Because that’s what happens_ – “Because we’re all – you’re – friends.” 

“Astoria, you really are an idiot.”

“Hey! I really think that’s a bit harsh –” 

“Is it?”

“Well – how was I supposed to know?!”

“He was looking at you the moment McGonagall said something, he asked you to Hogsmeade right after on a date – how are you this daft when it comes to him?” 

_Oh god_. She wanted to slam her head against a wall. _I even made a joke about it._

“How do I fix this? Should we go find him?” Ari asked miserably. 

“No way you can now. And no, he needs to go sulk and realize it’s partially his fault for taking so bloody long too. But hey, let’s go shopping and forget about it for a little while, yeah?” she said, attempting to cheer her up. 

“Okay,” Ari said, pouting a bit. 

“Blaise Zabini, huh? Leave at least one eligible bachelor for me, okay?”

Ari smacked Pansy on the arm as Pansy twittered. 

\-----

Shopping with Pansy was a bit of an out-of-body experience. She spent a small fortune at Honeydukes and Dervish and Banges on presents for her mother and family, and while Ari completely understood, especially given how beautiful all the sweets were, she also viewed it with a detached sort of shock. Ari knew Astoria’s family was well off, but she didn’t think it was quite in the same stratosphere that Pansy and Draco inhabited. And it was definitely worlds away from her life back home in the muggle world. 

After getting some chocolates for Daphne, Ari sarcastically said to Pansy, “You know I have to get something for you too, right?”

“All right – you know the only metal I can have is fourteen carat solid gold jewelry, right?” Pansy replied with a wolfish grin. 

“Very funny. Now go away –”

Pansy giggled and was off with a flash. 

Ari wandered up and down the high street, wondering what she could get for Pansy and Draco. She thought she could maybe go to Sprintwitches Sporting Needs, hoping maybe they had some quidditch supplies, but decided to first try Gladrags Wizardwear.

When she first walked in, she felt that this wasn’t aristocratic enough for the likes of Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, especially upon eying the row after row of fantastical, magicked socks. 

She sighed. _No, this wouldn’t work at all._

A small and ancient man regarded her from behind the shop counter, “Miss Witch? Is there anything I can help you with?” 

She responded in the nicest way she could think of, “Well – I er, I’m looking for presents for my friends and I don’t think socks will do the trick. They’re very…upperclass, you see…”

“Oh,” his tone changed, becoming more businesslike, “Follow me if you please, Miss.”

 _Okay?_ She was quite confused but followed the shopkeeper to a large chest of drawers with thin, pull out shelves. He softly tapped the top drawer with his wand, and watched in awe as each shelf opened itself, revealing a fantastical collection of scarves and small accessories. 

“We don’t typically offer these but have them on stock in case a family comes in with…discerning tastes,” Ari could detect a hint of pride in his voice, “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Please let me know if you have any questions.” 

He moved towards the front of the shop to help a couple of second years with their socks. 

Ari marveled at the collection. Everything was, in fact, exquisite. 

She first set to work looking for something for Pansy. She realized that they were arranged by gender, with more masculine items at the bottom and more feminine items at the top. She saw a row of beautifully rolled scarves, marveling at the feel of the fabric on her fingertips. It felt like silk but was softer somehow, woven so intricately that the colors were far more vivid than any scarves she had seen before. Some even had beautiful, whimsical patterns. She spied one in a soft petal pink that had an interlocking motif of gorgeously printed flowers that softly moved, as if being blown by an afternoon breeze. 

_Perfect._

Now she had to shop for the hard one. 

Ari always had the toughest time shopping for the men in her life. She remembered one particular instance where she searched for hours at the mall for something for Jake, only to come up empty handed. She never felt like she got it right when it came to gifts for him. 

_I never got it right when it came to anything involving him._

_What to do, what to do—_

“Still finding everything all right, Miss?” the shopkeeper asked, appearing at her side. 

“Thank you so much for showing me these. I think I’ll take this,” she said pointing at the scarf for Pansy, “But I also have am shopping for someone else. He’s about my age, but he has very good taste –”

“What house is he in?”

“Same as mine, Slytherin. Why do you ask –”

A box unwrapped itself in mid-air as a luxurious thin dark grey scarf slowly rolled out in her hands, subtle green stripes towards the bottom. It appeared to be a cashmere or lambswool knit, but as with the other one had such an intricate weave to it, making it feel as soft as a cloud. 

It was far nicer than the scarves worn at school, would still work seamlessly with his robes. And this way she knew he would stay warm –

“You’re extremely good at this, you know?” she said with a slight smile.

He responded primly, “I’ve had quite a bit of practice. Now would you like these gift wrapped, or prefer to wrap them yourselves?”

“Wrapped, definitely. One more thing, do you have any ridiculous socks with sweets on them? For my sister –”

“Of course,” he said promptly, guiding her towards the front of the store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm evil I know.
> 
> I also want to apologize for my egregious descriptions of the scarves. I am very big on giving gifts (it's probably my love language) so for me, the thought that goes into it can say a lot about your intentions and how feel, even if you don't quite realize it yourself (I hope you're getting this hint ;D)
> 
> Draco's perspective is next chapter -- out tomorrow!
> 
> heh heh heh


	17. Hogsmeade Special (Draco's Perspective)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a one-off I had no intentions of ever doing, then realized it would be far too fun not to do.
> 
> One small warning: there is alcohol use in this chapter as well.

_Merlin, she’s pretty_ , Draco found himself thinking as she walked down the stairs. Long brown hair framed excited blue eyes, that were staring at _him_. She was smiling at _him_. 

_Is she excited because she’s going to Hogsmeade with me_? The thought made him nervous, filling him with momentary doubt and angst. _What if she says no –_

He pushed it down. _No—there’s no way._

He had it all planned. He was going to walk her to Hogsmeade. They were going to have a fantastic day together, just the two of them. She was going to be thrilled. _With him. With their day. Together._

The fact that it snowed the night before was even more perfect.

The sun had broken through the morning clouds and had swathed the blanketed trees and the path below in a bright halo. Astoria was looking around at everything, face alight, subtle blond highlights in her hair glinting in the early morning rays. Draco longed to intertwine his fingers in it. She was always looking at things like she was seeing them for the first time –

“It’s really beautiful today, isn’t it?” she asked. 

“Yes –” _you’re really beautiful_ \- “It’s beautiful today.” 

“How is it you’re never cold, though?” 

Like so many things she said, that question threw him for a loop. He immediately pictured his family home, dark and drafty. He had to actively keep from sneering, he knew Ari’s brow always furrowed when he did that - “It’s probably due to the manor,” he said, choosing his words carefully. 

“Oh? How so?”

 _Why did she always ask ‘why’_? He tried to think of his house objectively. A thought came to him, of when Astoria and her family visited when he was eight, “You probably don’t remember, but you’ve actually been there.”

“Yeah, sorry – I must not have that memory back yet –” 

“It was a long time ago.”

“But you remember?”

 _Mother had told me to behave because another pure-blooded family was coming, had me memorize facts about their history_ , “Yes, of course I remember. I didn’t lose my memory, remember?” her eyes narrowed slightly, playfully. He loved when he had that effect on her, “The wing I grew up in could be pretty drafty and cold. I remember you complained to your mother about it. I think I got used to it.”

_She had told her quietly that she didn’t like the manor and wanted to leave. He remembered wishing he could say the same –_

“Wait – stop for a second. You had your own wing? How big is your house?”

 _She really can’t remember a lot, can she_? “It’s not a house, it’s a _manor_ –” 

He found Father’s voice channeling through his. 

_It’s giant. You would hate it. It’s everything you’re not._

“Fine, I’ll let that comment slide for now. Were there ghosts?” Draco saw Ari’s eyes become comically wide.

 _Is she afraid of ghosts_? “I mean – yes, I tried to ignore them – wait, I still can’t believe you think a house is the same thing as a manor –”

He couldn’t resist the chance to tease her. There were ghosts in the corners, they watched him, pushed his family’s legacy onto him with their dark eyes –

“You’re hopeless, you know that? What I mean is that it must have not been the most enjoyable thing to experience as a young child.”

She had surprised him once again, “Why do you think that?”

“I mean – cold, giant houses, excuse me, ‘manors’,” she said, putting her hands into air quotes. _She can’t help but rise to me back_ , the thought giving him a sense of primal satisfaction, “And spooky ghosts, they’re fun in theory and have a lot of history, but they’re also scary and lonely, right? Especially when you’re little.”

 _How does she always know? It’s like she’s a fucking seer_. He tried to keep his voice deliberately even, “I – I, it sufficed.”

“You can always talk to me about it, I mean, if you want?” 

He realized he must have failed. “Maybe some other time,” rousing himself from his thoughts, he thought of the day ahead of them, that she might finally be _his_ , “I have something to show you, remember?”

“As long as it’s not the Shrieking Shack –”

 _She definitely is scared of ghosts_. “Why in the name of Merlin would I take you to the Shrieking Shack?”

At this, she seemed to get flustered, words faltering, “I don’t know! You can get – you are – ugh!”

He found himself laughing, “Well, I have to take you now.”

He had no plan to. _At least, yet_. Thinking of the look of frightened look on her face, how she would grab his hand, like she did during the first task –

“Don’t you dare!” she said, eyes narrowing, “I would never forgive you.”

 _This is perfect. Why had he never known about this_? “The old Astoria wasn’t afraid of old, creaking houses –”

“Well you know, people can change!”

“They become more scared over time?” 

“When it’s a creepy shack that moans at you –” 

“Little Astoria is afraid of the scary shack? Do you need someone to protect you –”

_I would protect you –_

He didn’t have time to further that thought because the next thing he knew, she was bending down and a white ball was lobbed at him with surprising force, hitting his chest. A snowball. She was laughing with a devilish gleam in his eyes –

“How – dare – you –” 

Inside, he was _thrilled_ –

The next one hit him in the stomach. 

“That’s it!” He’d throw one at her, softly though, so as to not hurt her at all. But as always, she was two steps ahead of him, “You know Draco, you do have to catch me first, right?”

And then she was running down the lane, hair streaming over her shoulders. Inviting him to chase her, as if he hadn’t already been doing that for weeks. He threw the snowball in his hand, hitting her between her shoulder blades, before taking off after her. He gained on her easily, reaching her in a few bounds. Giving into his longing to touch her again, he launched himself at her, felt his hands wrap around her as they landed into a snow pile -

She was so small, so delicate – and here she was, still trying to fight him, trying to spin around, to face him. To throw snow in his face, laughing so hard she seemed breathless. 

He was laughing too, trying to keep her slender arms from throwing more snow at him. 

_She’s perfect –_

“All right, all right, I surrender! It’s not fair, how are you so _fast_?!”

He grinned, thinking of a joke, “Quidditch practice. Before that, running from ghosts.” 

She grinned in response, chest still heaving. Her hand reached up, brushing some snow from his hair. He felt a whispered touch at his temple as her hand stopped on some hair that had gotten in his face. _That’s right, she likes my hair_ \- “What was it you wanted to tell me?” she asked, softly in the still morning air. 

The words shot through him like a hex. _Oh –_

She was so close; he could reach down and kiss her. Merlin, how he had thought about that –

There would be time for that. Not now. He pulled her up, so they were both standing. _It was now or never_. She had some snow in her hair as well, Draco thought about snow angels he used to make with Pippy. Using that as pretense to touch her hair, he brushed it away, relishing the way the soft waves felt against his fingertips –

“Astoria – I –“, he could feel his cheeks beginning to flush, “I was wondering –” 

“Good morning you two!”

_Who the fuck is that –_

He saw Astoria turn away from him, towards – _Zabini_? 

He could feel the blood begin to pound in his ears. 

_Keep it together._

He heard Astoria ask, “Blaise, sorry, could you er – give us a moment?”

He couldn’t ask, not now, not with him ruining their perfect moment. He just had to figure out a way to get Zabini away from them. “It’s – it’s fine.”

Her eyes regarded him, concern flooding through her features. The thought warmed him a little. Blaise cocked his head slightly to the side, “Did something happen? Why are you both covered in snow?”

“Snowball fight,” she said, grinning at Draco and then him. 

“Awh man! I’m sorry I missed it. I would have killed to see Astoria pelting you with snowballs.”

_You will never see her like that. Ever._

He found his voice, “It was – it was certainly something.” 

_Now get the fuck away from her._

“He deserved it,” she added in a conspiratorial whisper, causing Blaise to start laughing. 

They started walking down the lane towards Hogsmeade. _Together_. Draco wanted to scream at Zabini to go away. He tried to control the rising panic within his chest. He knew people smiled at one another, that was a thing they did. But she was smiling at Zabini the way she smiled at him. Why wasn’t he leaving? 

“Say, Astoria, I must confess I was hoping to see you today.”

_Don’t tell me –_

Astoria looked confused, “Yeah? What makes you say that, Blaise?”

“Has anyone asked you to the Yule Ball yet?” 

_Fuck –_

“Err – no –”

His heart plummeted. He stepped on a branch, feeling the crack underneath his boot. His rage starting to skyrocket, he tried to control it by curling his hand into a fist, away from his wand –

“I was wondering then, if would you like to go with me?”

_No – she’ll say no, right – she has to say no –_

“I guess that would be nice,” she said, smiling at him softly. 

He couldn’t hear Blaise’s response.

He could only hear the pounding of his heart, his thoughts coming to him in a jumble, the images of the past ten minutes replaying before his eyes. _She said yes. To Blaise. In front of me. When I was about to ask her. How could everything go so wrong?_

_She doesn’t like me at all, does she?_

“—Do you maybe want to get some butterbeer in town together?” 

“Sure. Hey Draco, do you want to get a butterbeer with us?”

 _How could she ask that to my face? After what just happened_ – “No, I don’t think –” he blinked hard, feeling his emotions lock down till he could get away from this, from her, from them, “I have some things to do in Hogsmeade. You two enjoy yourselves.” 

The words made him sick. 

He walked away, unable to look at her. 

How could he, when she wasn’t his? 

\-----

The next few hours came and went in a blur. He vaguely remembered going to the Hog’s Head and threatening some barkeep until a bottle of cheap firewhiskey was shoved into his hands. He tried to keep as far away from the Three Broomsticks, from _them_ –

Her smiling at Blaise was seared into his mind. 

In the end, there was no other place he could end up without being noticed. He knew it was all horseshit, anyways. Looking furtively around, one hand holding the bottle under his cloak, he made his way to the Shrieking Shack. The door was already unlocked. Slamming the door shut, he howled into the empty room in frustration and anger.

 _Maybe I’m not the first to do this_ , he thought wryly before he took a swig of the firewhiskey, grimacing as it burned down his throat. He wasn’t fully even sure where the idea came from. He’d gotten drunk with his father earlier this year after the Quidditch World Cup, when they had come home, both laughing from everyone’s terrified faces. How stupid they had all looked. 

_Mother had been furious._

Before he could stop it, a thought bubbled up, asking him, _what would Astoria think? About what you’ve said? What you’ve done?_

_It doesn’t matter now._

_Now that she has him._

The lid on his temper was pulled off with surprising force. He looked for something to destroy, anything to help him relieve his pent-up rage and hurt. Most of the place was pretty beat up and wrecked. Surveying the area, quickly, he did find some old rickety wooden tables, two partially destroyed chairs, and one absolutely disgusting bed in an upstairs corner. 

_The tables and chairs would do nicely._

He made quick work of them, easily smashing them to bits. He tried some curses out on the wood, enjoying how it felt to see the light emanate from his wand before striking the wooden surface, causing it to ripple and splinter. Anger came so easily to him. 

He kept taking dregs of the firewhiskey till it stopped burning, the edges of his vision beginning to swim. 

What stayed clear were the images in his head, each getting worse than the last – Astoria laughing at Zabini’s jokes, eyes getting rosy over a butterbeer. Her hands touching his cloak. His hands in her hair –

_The way she was supposed to be with him._

He hated himself. He hated that he was this way. He hated that he had to make this elaborate plan, that he couldn’t just ask her, finally tell her how he felt. _Maybe it was better this way, you knew she was always too good for you –_

He found himself in a corner of the shack, huddled in his cloak. He took another swig. He was going to drown with this ship of self-pity. _If Mother could see me now –_

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Malfoy –”

His eyes shot open as he saw an out-of-focus person walking towards him, bend down, and stare at him hard in the face. _Let them see. None of it matters, anymore._

“I knew I would find you here. Merlin, how much have you had to drink?”

He vaguely realized it was Pansy. Instead of yelling at him, she scrunched down and sat next to him, taking the glass bottle with her. He tried to protest, but he found his words were slurred, “Heeeyy, give me that –”

“Nope. You’ve lost your privileges.” 

He heard her grimace as she took a long gulp, “Man this is absolute shite, where did you get this, anyways?” 

“Hog’s…Head… “ 

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“Pansy – why – why doesn’t she like me?”

He wondered if he had started crying. He wasn’t quite sure. 

She sighed heavily, “Well, seeing as you’re probably not going to remember this in the morning, I’m going to be honest. She does. I think there’s a lot going on with her we don’t know. You being…you doesn’t help matters, either. For what it’s worth, she had no idea you were going to ask her.”

“What?” Astoria’s confused eyes swam before him, worried. _She really didn’t know?_

“I know. You follow her around like she’s the sun and she’s the only one who doesn’t see it. Bloody unbelievable. She was really upset when she figured it out.”

“She was?” he loathed himself for sounding so hopeful. 

“Yes, Draco. She asked how she could fix it.” 

“Did she and Zabini – did they…” 

“What is happening in that idiotic blond head of yours? You know she spent probably an hour getting a Christmas present for you? Well, us, but still – “

_She did?_

Draco was pretty sure he hadn’t said anything, but Pansy responded, “Yes,” sounding exasperated. 

Much softer, she added, “You know, I like someone too. Except I can’t tell them. You can. Do it before you run out of chances.” 

He felt confused, “Why can’t you tell them?”

Turning his head, which turned out to be a serious undertaking, he found that she had drawn her knees to her chest, hugging herself. Her voice was barely above a whisper, “Because, she doesn’t know I exist.”

 _She?_ Had he heard her right? “Wait –”

“Don’t worry about it, okay?”

Something was tugging at his consciousness, trying to get him to wake up, “Wait, Pansy. Stop –” 

“Fuck it. You heard right, okay? You know what Astoria said to me when I told her? She was fine with it. More than fine. She told me that it was okay, that I couldn’t help it. Do you know what my Mum would say to me if she found out? It wouldn’t matter that I like men too. It would just be ‘what would other people think?’ Never mind me and my own feelings –” 

_Of course, Astoria would say something like that –_

“She’s a far better friend than either of us deserve,” Pansy said.

“Hey – you – you’re a good friend too –” 

What looked to be two Pansy’s smirked at him, “I know. Let’s get you sobered up a bit before you head back. You’re too big for me to carry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad for how much I love torturing our favorite blond haired boy. The idea of him being a drunk, sad, emo idiot was conceived by my fantastic friend, Marri, and is what set me out on writing this.
> 
> I may do more of these in the future, but only super rarely when the story calls for it. Or I want to. :D


	18. The Restricted Section

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari sees something that she shouldn't.

“Are they trying to kill us,” Pansy whined the next morning, looking over the mountains of work they were meant to complete over the break, “It’s like they’re punishing us for having the ball.”

“It’s your fault for looking,” Ari quipped back. Pansy groaned in response. “We are also going to the library later today, so don’t worry about that now,” eyes flicking around, she added, “Hey, do you…know where Draco is this morning?”

Pansy smirked, “He’ll be tardy this morning. He had some _things_ to attend to.” 

“What does that even mean? Also, what exactly happened yesterday? You came in really late, you know. I had to walk back to the castle on my own –”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”, Pansy responded, her eyes shining with merriment. 

“Yes, actually –”

At this, Draco unceremoniously slumped onto the bench next to Pansy. His typically meticulously kept hair was rumpled and messy, eyes bloodshot. Pansy said nothing and passed him a giant mug of tea, which he eagerly gulped down. At the sound of the mug hitting the table, he winced, grabbing his head.

“Draco, are you okay?” Ari asked, looking at him with eyes full concern, “Do you want to go to Madam Pomfrey’s? Or maybe you should try to get some rest –”

_Maybe he got sick from the cold yesterday –_

“I’m fine –”

“You definitely don’t look fine. You’re somehow even paler than usual –”

“I’m fine, all right!” he barked out, then sighed, “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

Ari wasn’t convinced. Something definitely was wrong. Softly, she asked, “Is it okay if I feel your forehead?”

“My forehead? Why in Merlin’s name would you want to do that?” he protested, brows knitted together. This seemed to make his headache worse. Ari could clearly see the redness in his eyes. 

“To take your temperature. It’s something, er – a family member taught me. You can tell if someone has a fever by feeling their forehead with the back of your hand.” 

_This must be something wizards don’t do. Oh well, whatever_. Pansy was watching this exchange with barely disguised glee. 

“You really are the oddest –” 

“Please?” she pleaded. 

“Fine, if it makes you feel better,” he granted, his words tinged with an exaggerated irritation. 

She got up slightly in her seat, and reached over, carefully pushing aside his disheveled hair, and placed the back of her hand on his forehead. Due to the width of the table and Draco’s reticence, her center of gravity ended up being over the table, and she had to plant her other hand on its surface to keep from falling forward. 

Draco’s forehead felt clammy but not hot enough to raise alarm. She realized that their faces weren’t that far apart, his eyes staring straight into hers. She could see a slight blush was starting to bloom on his cheeks. Her eyes traveled to his lips just as he began to glance downwards –

She pulled away suddenly. “Nope, no fever!” she exclaimed, causing Pansy to sputter into her tea. 

“Draco had a late light last night is all, though I appreciate your concerted show of concern on his behalf. You’re a far better friend than we deserve, wouldn’t you say, Draco?”

His eyes widened involuntarily, and he stared at Pansy, blinking several times. Pansy kept on drinking her tea, but couldn’t hide the small, triumphant grin that broke out over her features. 

Ari had no idea what had just happened. 

\-----

Pansy and Ari found the library relatively deserted. Most students who had decided to go home for break had already left the day before, and everyone else was too excited by the Yule Ball to worry about schoolwork quite yet. Draco said he would join them later, Ari suspected he was trying to sleep off whatever what was ailing him. She could almost swear he was hungover, but that made no sense. 

_Where would he even get alcohol? He’s fourteen._

Ari had gotten drunk a few times at college parties, but never to the point where she blacked out. In most instances, Jake was with her, and was more than happy to indulge their mutual lowered inhibitions. Thinking back to one particular instance in the front seat of his car, she cringed, and immediately forced herself to think of where and who she was now. 

“I need to find Madam Pince and figure out whatever this is that Dumbledore gave me. Where can I find you afterwards?”

“You mean you don’t want me coming with you? How could you, after all we’ve been through together?”

“Har har,” Ari said, glaring playfully at Pansy.

“I’ll see if Draco makes an appearance. If he does, we’ll come find you.”

“Sounds good. You _really_ won’t tell me what happened yesterday?”

Pansy only knowingly smirked in response and walked off to sit at a table nearby to the entrance. 

Ari found Madam Pince at her desk, diligently writing down notes on a piece of parchment. “Yes?” she asked Ari severely, staring down her hawkish nose. 

Ari could feel an unpleasant chill that now filled the corner they were in. It made her nervous, “Good morning Madam Pince – I have er – this –“

“Well, out with it –” 

“This paper from Dumbledore – he said you would know what to do with it?”

Her eyes immediately narrowed. Glaring at Ari, she snatched the paper from her hands and with beady eyes, began to examine it with the care of an art conservator. Ari half- wondered if she would get out a magnifying glass or see if it fluoresced under blacklight. After what seemed to be a vast amount of time, Madam Pince spoke up, “You said _Dumbledore_ gave this to you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I don’t see any evidence of forgery or tampering – why would he sign this for you, exactly?”

Ari bristled at the question, “I don’t really see why that matters. It’s for something, err—school related.”

“It absolutely matters, Miss –”, she sized Ari up and down, “Greengrass. This paper gives you access to several books about curses and other advanced magic, typically not available to someone of your…skill level.”

_What?_

“I’m umm – researching curses. For a – a class. Dumbledore thought it would be helpful?”

Madam Pince was suspiciously watching her, “If I catch wind that something is amiss – Dumbledore will hear about it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, of course,” but she couldn’t help adding, “You won’t though.”

_Because he actually gave it to me, you crazy old dingbat._

She stiffly led her to the Restricted Section. Closed off by a velvet rope, it somehow was even gloomier than the rest of the library, as if forewarning anyone who entered. She gave Ari a penetrating look as she entered, before promptly disappearing into the stacks. 

She reappeared around ten minutes later, carrying several ancient and warped looking tomes. “Come back with me, I will need to check these out for you.” 

Having them in her hands, they seemed to emanate a certain amount of shadowy knowledge that whispered at Ari, causing a shiver to advance down her spine. Her desire for information was palpable, but it was tinged by an ominous feeling. 

Putting them into her bag, she tried to find a place where she could go and be completely undisturbed for a moment, forgetting entirely about her earlier plan with Pansy. She wandered the library aimlessly and had just found what appeared to be a dusty and forgotten corner. Putting her bag down on a table that was etched in old graffiti of students and loves long forgotten, she grasped the first book and was opening the cover when she heard a muffled thump – 

Followed by a _moan_?

Curiosity getting the better of her, she walked down the middle path of bookshelves. She had just walked to the opposite side of the stacks when what she saw stopped her in her tracks. Two students were on top of each other, pressed against the table, kissing. _Snogging_. A male student – from _Durmstrang_? – was leaning over a desk, legs wrapped around his middle. He was running his hands through her curly hair, a grunt escaped his lips as her hands clasped around his neck, pulling him closer – 

“Wait, I’m sorry, my teeth –” 

“I like them,” came his husky voice, as his lips crashed onto her once more. She met them hungrily. 

Ari stood transfixed, filled with a mixture of fascination and also fear that they would see her if she moved. The girl moaned –

_“—She can’t have gone far, it’s not like this library is endless –”_

_“Of course, she disappeared Pansy, it’s Astoria we’re talking about. Ow, my head –”_

_“Oh, get a grip, Malfoy –”_

The students broke apart, as if wrenched apart by a violent force. Two pairs of eyes met Ari’s as they all stood, frozen on the spot.

It was Hermione and Viktor Krum. Hermione’s eyes went wide with fear, hair completely beyond repair, face flushed. Viktor even had a slightly reddened complexion. Hermione’s mouth opened, forming a sound –

Ari put her finger to lips to stop her, gave them a small awkward smile, and silently turned around. Walking away from them, she saw Draco and Pansy about to turn the corner, to where they could see – “You two! Over here!” she harshly whispered, quickly moving off to the side. Hoping it was enough to distract them, she met them between two tall rows of bookcases, “You two are so loud, you know that? I could hear you from across the bleeding library –” 

_Which I secretly thank you both for in this instance –_

“It’s not our fault we have to come find you every time –” 

“I know, but this time there’s a reason,” she said, pulling out her books, “Look at these.” 

Their eyes stunned; they spent the rest of the afternoon pouring over the books. 

\----

Nothing about the books seemed particularly helpful at first glance, and if anything, made Ari even more confused. Some whispered about how people cursed by a blood malediction could eventually turn into hideous monsters, but that didn’t seem to be what was happening to Astoria. She sighed, glancing at Draco and Pansy. Pansy was yawning, a quill tucked behind her ear as she flicked through a book. Draco was rubbing at his head, his face contorted into a permanent frown.

“You guys got anything?”

“No,” Pansy griped, staring at her book, “Who knew the Restricted Section could be so useless?” 

“I can’t believe it was a dead end,” Ari said softly to herself, sighing. 

\-----

That evening, Pansy and Ari found themselves flipping through magazines with Draco sat across from them in an armchair, with what must have been his fifth cup of tea for the day. 

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Ari asked. 

“Never better, why Astoria?” Draco drawled, fixing his exhausted eyes on Ari. 

“You always say that when you’re not doing well, you know that –” 

“Astoria – look at this –” Pansy interrupted, pulling Ari’s gaze downwards. 

It was a fashion spread of muggle celebrities, showcasing the latest from the red carpet. It was all very nineties, with a mix of very questionable menswear suits for women and pants-wear and dress combinations. One in particular stood out, however, it was a blue wrap dress, simple, but beautiful. The fabric shimmered. 

Pansy, seeing Ari’s focus, said, “That one is lovely. Why don’t you wear something like that to the Yule Ball?” her tone turned teasing, “I’m sure Blaise would love to see you in that –” 

At the mention of Blaise’s name, Draco blanched and purposefully stared into the fire, avoiding Ari’s gaze. _I still need to talk to him about that –_

“Pansy, you know I already have dress robes. You do, too.” 

“Nonsense. When they told us to bring them this year, we had no idea what they were for. Now that we do, I know for a fact they won’t do.”

“They’re just dresses,” Ari said, refusing to concede to Pansy’s argument.

“I already have a million plans for that dress. You’ll look smashing. I can get it - it’ll be my Christmas present, okay?” Pansy’s eyes had become so big and plaintive, Ari knew there was no way she could win. 

“You sure? This seems incredibly generous. Wait, how will we get my size in time? And the dress?”

“I know your size,” Pansy said smoothly, as if Astoria’s measurements had been an empirical fact that everyone knew. 

“—How?”

“Magic, duh.” 

Ari couldn’t argue with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> teeheehee
> 
> Hermione should have a little fun, right?
> 
> Next part is the Christmas chapter, I'm so excited!


	19. The Scarves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fluff no one asked for.

A couple of days later two large dress boxes were dropped off at the Slytherin table, courtesy of a pair of regal great horned owls. 

Pansy started squealing almost immediately, causing the rest of the Great Hall to look around at the commotion. When they saw who it was, many rolled their eyes. Ari only raised an eyebrow and sarcastically asked, “How did these get here so fast?” 

“Oh, you know, we happen to be friendly with some designers,” Pansy said breezily, “They loved your dress idea, by the way, so chic –” 

“I can’t wait to see you both this weekend,” came a voice from above Ari’s head, “You especially, Astoria –” 

She looked over her left shoulder to see hazel eyes. 

“Oh Blaise, you do flatter us. I think you’ll be in for a treat,” Pansy said, flashing a grin at Blaise. Ari wondered what “plans” Pansy had for her dress, and blushed. 

Draco, who had been reading the Daily Prophet across the table, adjusted his paper, holding it rigidly in his fists. She had tried talking to him several times but had been greeted by a brick wall, who refused to acknowledge what had happened. He seemed to have regressed back to his sneering self, acting sullen and withdrawn. Nevertheless, he still decided to spend his time with her and Pansy, which struck Ari as odd and contradictory. 

_If he’s acting like this, when why is he still here? All the time?_

\-----

“Thank you so much again, for the dress,” Ari said to Pansy, as they were walking around the school near the lake. 

They had both wanted to get away from the common room and its green dreariness, finding the bracing cold and its stark beauty a better way to spend their afternoon. They walked together, arm in arm, as the cold whipped at their cheeks. Ari continued, “It’s wonderful I get to spend Christmas with you.” 

“I know. I’m excited too. Maybe we can do this every year,” Pansy replied, wistfully. 

“That would be lovely. We can even invite the other grumpy third to our trio, though I doubt he’d be much fun.”

“I think he would _love_ that,” Pansy countered, side-eyeing Ari, “Actually. I do have something to tell you. Draco invited me to the ball, is that okay?” 

“What! Of course, it’s okay –”

“We are just going as friends, and you can butt in at any time –”

“It’s okay, Pansy. It’ll be fun! We can go on a double date,” Ari said, pulling her closer. 

“ _That_ would be awful, and you know it,” Pansy said flatly to Ari’s guffaws of laughter. 

They walked in silence for a bit, letting the chill settle into their bones before they turned to go back inside through the main entrance. They were just passing by the Great Hall to head down to the dungeons when Viktor Krum's hulking figure was seen heading straight towards them. Pansy was rooted to the spot, ecstatic. 

_Ugh, here we go –_

“Hello, Miss Astoria and Miss Pansy. Miss Astoria, could I have a _vord_?” Pansy’s eyes grew wide as she looked at Ari, wondering what was going on. 

_It’s not what you think, I can promise you that._

Giving her a small smile, she followed Viktor to a small alcove overlooking a courtyard. His accent was gruff and thick, “ _Hermy-own-ninny_ and I vanted to thank you for not telling anyone about vot happened in the librar-y.”

“It’s really fine, I promise. Your secret is safe with me. We really don’t have to talk about this. Two people are allowed to do what they want –” She _really_ did not want to have this conversation. 

“Ve vanted to do something for you.”

“I promise it’s completely fine—” Ari had her hands up, pleading. _Please stop talking about this._

“Ve insist. Please?”

It was the ‘please’ that got her, that and her desperation to extricate herself from this conversation. She nodded, seeing him smile in response. Quickly thinking it over, there was something he could do, and it would hopefully make someone she knew very happy. 

“Actually, there is something…this is going to sound kind of lame, but could you sign something for me? It’s for a friend – for Christmas –”

“Of course,” his tone suggesting, ‘that’s it?’

“Thank you! Meet me in the library in twenty minutes.” 

Explaining to Pansy that she would tell her all about it later, she ran down to the common room to grab the scarf. 

\-----

She carefully unwrapped it in a darkened corner, away from prying eyes. “I’m not fully sure how you could sign it –”

“It’s a very beauty-vul scarf. Whoever vill vear it is very luck-y”.

“Oh, thank you,” she said, blushing slightly. She now understood why Hermione liked him. He had a directness that was very endearing, even if he still had a hulking bearish quality to him. 

He tapped the bottom of the scarf of his wand. The dark grey unraveled as it was replaced by Viktor Krum’s signature and the words “Be Victorious” in green, matching the striped contrasting color. It gave the look of a brand putting their logo at the bottom, unobtrusive, but still there to those who knew where to look. 

“This is perfect! You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”

“Vell, I am one of the best seekers in the vorld,” he said, giving her an open smile. Ari chuckled.

“Very true. Thank you so, so much! I really hope he likes this.” 

“I’m sure he vill,” Viktor responded, “Especially since you’re the vun giving it to him.” 

Ari only blushed harder in response. 

\-----

Christmas Eve night was incredible. The Great Hall had been decorated with a dozen towering Christmas trees, each trimmed in something different. One was adorned with holly berries, another was covered in icicles, and perhaps the most marvelous of all, one had real owls sitting in it, hooting happily. The walls were garlanded with red and green streamers, holly, and even the occasional piece of mistletoe. The ceiling had been enchanted to look like a beautiful snowfall, mirroring what Ari could see happening outside. Hundreds of candles were suspended in mid-air. 

Even Draco and Pansy looked impressed. Ari was – she was gobsmacked. 

There were far less students, mostly only fourth years and up. Crabbe and Goyle had decided to spend the break at home, Ari slyly wondered if it’s because they couldn’t find dates to the Yule Ball. The three of them had a huge part of the Slytherin table to themselves. And the feast –

Ari was greeted by one of the most juicy and beautiful looking roasted turkeys she had ever seen. Mountains of mashed potatoes, delightfully sliced yams, piles of green beans and peas, she thought she even spied a casserole. _This more than makes up for missing Thanksgiving_ , she thought as she helped herself a heaping plate, watching Draco and Pansy do the same. 

Draco seemed to be in a more cheerful mood, buoyed by his surroundings and the looks on Ari’s and Pansy’s faces. His posture definitely appeared more relaxed; he even cracked a few jokes when Ari got some cranberry sauce on her face. Happy to be the butt of the joke, she flicked some at him, laughing when some landed on his nose. 

Ari looked at the other tables quickly. Cedric looked jubilant, and Harry looked incredibly content with his friends.

Surrounded with this warm glow of everyone’s smiles, Ari felt elated. She wasn’t thinking about the challenges, or the blood curse she was saddled with. She was instead enchanted by the beautiful snow falling above her, noticing how Pansy’s laugh filled the room with its musicality, or how Draco’s hair glowed in the candlelight, almost silver. His eyes were crinkled up at the corners as he and Pansy bickered about which dessert was better, his smile genuine and honest– 

_He looks so beautiful tonight_ , she realized, letting the words sink in.

The three of them spent the night drinking way too much butterbeer, sitting near the fireplace, laughing. 

Everything felt so right.

\-----

Ari awoke on Christmas morning to two massive brown eyes staring down at her from approximately six inches away. 

“—Pan—Pansy?”

“Who else would it be, Mrs. Norris? Get up, already! I’ve been waiting for ages –” 

She blearily looked at the time, “Pansy it’s 6:30am—” rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked around to find a small pile of presents at the foot of her bed. “Where did all of these come from?” she asked wonderingly. 

“I seriously question if you’re a witch sometimes. Come on!” she said authoritatively, pulling Ari’s covers down. 

“I take it back; we are not spending next Christmas together –” 

“Too late. Get up or I’ll get Draco to carry you down –”

 _All right_ – “I’m up, I’m up!” 

Ari allowed herself to be pushed out to the stairs, grabbing her presents for Draco and Pansy on her way. At the landing, she looked down to find an equally impatient Draco, sitting in front of the fire as if he had been there for hours. All of them were still in their pajamas, hair slightly askew. 

It was _great_ –

“Finally!” he shouted up at them, bounding to the foot of the stairs in a few strides. 

“I know, I was practically willing her to wake up by the end of it –”

“You’re both like this?”

“How else would be we?” Pansy asked innocently, “It’s Christmas.”

“What time did you guys wake up?”

“What do you think Draco, about…5:30-6:00ish?”

“Sounds about right,” Draco agreed.

“You two are mad,” Ari said emphatically. 

“Nope, just excited.”

She did have to admit they were that. They looked like two little kids, eyes as big as blown glass Christmas decorations. She wondered if they would even like her gifts, their expectations for this morning seemed to be sky high. Sitting down on the floor next to the fireplace, Draco placed a steaming mug of hot chocolate into her hands, as Pansy sat on the opposite side. 

_It was like they had planned this –_

“Oh –er, thank you!”, she said, adding, “Wow, this is delicious,” when she got her first sip.

Draco grinned in response. 

“Alright, who’s first?”

“Me!” Pansy and Draco said at the same time, immediately glaring at each other. 

Ari rolled her eyes, “How about I give you your presents at the same time? That way, you two won’t fight when one gets it before the other.” She felt as though she were speaking to toddlers. 

Pansy stuck her tongue out at Draco but said nothing. In response, Draco reached over Ari and shoved Pansy’s shoulder. _They’re impossible_ , Ari thought to herself. “Why am I in the middle of this?” she asked out loud, to no one in particular. 

“Because you’re the jam filling in our delicious biscuit!” Pansy said enthusiastically, “Now where’s my present?” 

Ari laughed, taking the presents from in front of her and carefully placed them into Draco’s and Pansy’s laps at the same time. Their approaches to unwrapping were remarkably different. Pansy ripped open the paper as if she were a wild animal, Draco instead carefully peeled it open, layer by layer. When he saw Ari’s perplexed expression, he said, “I like to draw out the surprise,” as he grinned sheepishly.

_Oh –_

“Oh Merlin, Astoria –”

“I love this—”

She didn’t know where to look. Her glance went back and forth. Pansy was staring at her scarf with an enraptured expression, watching the flowers slowly drift from side to side. Draco was holding his scarf in his hands, looking at it with a very pleased soft smile. She turned to him and said into his ear, “Look at the bottom—”

He did as he was told, his eyes growing wide in surprise. Viktor Krum’s signature stood out near his pale hands, “You – you did this – for me?”

She couldn’t help it; her grin was from ear to ear. 

“That’s what you were doing with Viktor!” Pansy said, their encounter with him finally making sense.

“Sorry I got you both the same thing, Hogsmeade wasn’t the best for variety –” 

“It’s perfect,” they said together. 

Pansy added, “I don’t even know how you found this. My mum will be so jealous!”

Grabbing a bag from her left, Pansy exclaimed, “My turn next!” 

Two exquisitely wrapped packages were placed in front of her and Draco. _Of course, they would be beautiful_. “Wait, Pansy, you didn’t have to get me anything! Not with everything you’ve already done –” 

Pansy shrugged and said, laughing, “Can’t have Malfoy outdoing me today.” 

Draco snorted. Ari opened her present, ripping open the wrapping slightly in her excitement. Her eyes grew big. It was a jeweled hair clip, covered in beautiful small blue crystals and beads. 

“It’ll go with your dress tonight,” Pansy said, smiling at her. 

Ari turned and hugged Pansy in response, “This is gorgeous, thank you!”

Draco’s turned out to be a special commemorative program of the Quidditch World Cup, with all of the playing cards of the players. “Pansy, this is mental! Father and I didn’t have time to get one – how did you know?” 

Pansy just grinned, “I have my ways—” 

Next it was Draco’s turn. His wrapping was incredible too, but more understated in muted navy and silver. Pansy got to hers first. Inside was a small luxurious looking square makeup case that had been enchanted with far more room than initially appeared, able to hold a year’s worth of toiletries. Pansy squealed, “This is great, Draco! I’ve been needing one of these for ages –” 

It was Ari’s turn next. She felt the anticipation hitting her as Draco mumbled, “I hope you – like it.” 

_I know I will_. She wondered if it was book, it was heavy. Her hands carefully unwrapped the paper. It was a journal. And a stunning one at that. Midnight blue, leather, the pages crisp and thick. At the bottom right, the initials AG were stamped in a light, iridescent green. 

_AG – Astoria Greengrass. Ariana Greer_. He had somehow gotten her a present that was perfect for her and Astoria. Swallowing back tears, she said, “This is beautiful Draco – thank you –” 

He blushed with praise, “It’s enchanted too. Your previous notes and writings will only appear if it knows it’s you, otherwise it will look blank –”

She nodded, dumbly, realizing that he must have gotten the idea after seeing her set her notes on fire. _How could he witness that and think to do something so thoughtful?_

“You guys are far too good at giving presents, you know that?” 

For a moment, none of them said anything. Pansy’s hand snaked around Ari’s shoulders; Draco’s soon followed around her waist. Ari wrapped her left arm around Pansy and rested her head on Draco’s shoulder. They all held one another, watching the fire. 

Ari was the happiest she had been in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEEE sorry y'all! If you couldn't already tell, I love Christmas, I love gift giving, I love the looks on people's faces as they're opening presents, all of it. Totally get if that's not you by the way :), but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.
> 
> Y'all should know what's coming next, The Yule Ball! I've had this particular scene in my head since I first started writing, and I'm really excited to share with you guys. Sending everyone so much love and hope you're staying safe!


	20. The Blue Dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have the inspiration on the dresses and makeup down in the chapter notes for anyone interested. <3

“You’re sure this looks okay?” Ari asked for approximately the sixth time, looking at herself in the mirror. 

“If you keep asking, I’m going to start taking it personally,” Pansy sang back to her. Ari glanced back to the mirror. 

Unsure blue eyes stared back at her, ringed by dark, thick lashes. The look Pansy had created was simple – pastel eyeshadow and glossy pink lipstick, glowing skin. Her collarbones had been dusted with a light glitter as well. Pansy had turned her long locks into large spiral curls, held on one side by the hair clip she had given her. 

It was very nineties, but it looked great. Ari just wasn’t sure it looked great on _her_. 

She looked down towards her dress. Pansy and her designers had taken liberties with her original idea, making it more romantic and ethereal. It was far lower than Ari had anticipated, with a v-shaped neckline she wasn’t sure worked with her smaller chest, coming into a tight nip at her waist and flaring outwards towards the ground. The color was a beautiful cerulean blue, which brought out her eyes. The look was completed by sheer tulle wrap that wrapped around her forearms, falling to her feet. 

“Stop staring at yourself in the mirror, Astoria. You look great. I would know, I have excellent taste. But er—how do I look?” 

Ari turned towards Pansy, surprised by slight uncertainty in her voice. Her breath caught in her throat. Pansy had slicked her shoulder length hair back away from her face while still keeping the body, creating an androgynous effect that worked perfectly with her makeup. Simple but incredibly chic – she had chosen a bitten-red lipstick, accentuating her eyes only with mascara. 

The effortlessness of her makeup only emphasized her dress, though. It was black, off-the-shoulder, with a deep plunging neckline. The fabric was tightly ruched along the sides with an asymmetrical hemline, clinging to her slight curves. In a word, she looked _fantastic_.

“Oh Pansy, you’re going to steal the show tonight. You look gorgeous. That dress –”

She danced her bare shoulders up and down, grinning, “Thanks, but I have a slight correction. _We_ are going to steal the show tonight. Draco and Blaise will flip when they see you –” 

“Ugh, if I have to figure that mess out, I will get a stress headache.” 

“No time –” 

“We really have to go? We can’t just stay up here all night? It would be so much easier to just –” 

“Nope,” Pansy said, yanking Ari’s arm towards the door. 

Her heart beginning to pound, she looked down the stairs towards the common room. She grabbed Pansy’s arm for support, feeling like a debutante at her coming-of-age party. She had been to proms in high school, but never like this. Never this _nice_. She could see a throng of students, all in different hues and styles of robes and dresses. Her eyes adjusted, searching – 

_There they were_. Talking. At the base of the stairs. They turned, Blaise caught sight of them first and grinned, but then Draco – 

He was staring up at them, his mouth parted slightly, eyes widening, expression simultaneously hopeful and haunted. Dressed in midnight black velvet robes with a high collar, his hair had been side swept off to one side. He had allowed its slight wavy texture - 

_He does look like a vicar_ , Ari thought, laughing inwardly to herself. But the collar and deep black accentuated his height, and the blue-grey in his eyes. _A vicar who you wouldn’t mind_ – 

“You two look –”

“—Great –” Draco finished for Blaise, staring directly at Ari.

Ari flushed. Up close, she saw that Blaise’s robes were deep green, bringing out the color in his eyes. 

“It’s all Pansy. She was the mastermind,” she flicked her eyes up at Draco, momentarily, and saw that he was still gazing at her, a hint of a smile on his face, “You guys clean up well – too,” she said, almost shyly. _Get a grip, Ari. You’re with him every day._

Blaise, unaware of the small interaction between them, took Ari’s elbow, smiling at her soft expression. Draco’s smile immediately vanished; eyes hard. “Well, I do think we’re the luckiest guys tonight, wouldn’t you say, Draco?”

Draco only smirked in reply, raising his elbow for Pansy’s hand to slip through. They looked like an evil power couple, outfits perfectly matching each other. “Wait – you two didn’t plan this, did you?” 

Pansy and Draco regarded one another, Pansy remarking, “We do look quite the pair, don’t we? We actually didn’t prearrange this at all, but great minds do think alike.” 

Ari shook her head, thinking about the morning they had had together. _Evil twins, more like –_

They walked up the steps towards the Great Hall together. They were in the doorway, about to turn towards the hall, when a group of Gryffindors impeded their path. Harry was among them, in robes of a dark bottle green, matching the emerald in his eyes. 

Harry and Draco’s eyes locked, both stiffening as he passed. He regarded each Slytherin student in the group distrustfully until his eyes made their way to Ari’s, relaxing a little. He gave her a quick, small smile, displaying his nervousness. She mouthed the words “Good luck” as he passed, waving slightly. He blushed. 

The great oak entrance doors opened, and with it came the students from Durmstrang. Ari heard a sharp gasp from Pansy, Viktor Krum was at their helm with Hermione on his arm, looking incredible in a soft periwinkle dress. They were whispering softly to one another, Hermione’s face ecstatic – 

“How did she?! – When did she?! – That chipmunk faced –”

Draco and Pansy were sporting expressions of equal shock. “Now now you two,” Ari said, tutting softly as Blaise laughed, “Be nice.” 

“Nope. She bewitched him. I’m sure of it. How else –”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Ari said, watching Viktor’s besotted expression, “I think he just likes her.”

_She has him completely wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?_

Pansy whispered in her ear, “Reminds you of someone you know, doesn’t it?” as she nudged her head to the left, a delighted expression breaking out over her features. 

At this, Ari looked up, and realized Draco was watching her again, his eyes soft, filled with a melancholy longing. Her heart began to thump in her chest - 

McGonagall’s voice resounded over the increasing tumult of excited voices, “Champions over here, please!” 

Fleur and her date were first in line, Fleur’s dress a beautiful corseted light grey satin. Ari caught a glimpse of Pansy’s open-mouthed expression and grinned, hoping she would get the courage to talk to her tonight. She also caught Draco looking at Pansy oddly, before his eyes went back to hers. _Had he put things together too?_

She had trouble keeping his gaze for long, his blue-grey eyes electrifying her. She pointedly turned back to the champions, seeing Cedric and Cho Chang, Cedric looking like he had won the lottery that night. He was always so _happy_ , wasn’t he, the thought ricocheting through her brain. 

_How do I do this? How do I save him –_

A sudden swarm of students towards the entrance of the Great Hall broke her from her thoughts. Taking Blaise’s arm once again, the four of them walked in, Ari’s jaw dropping to the floor as she looked up. A perfect cloudless night greeted them, Ari thought she could see the faint colorful striations of the Northern lights with the twinkling of thousands of stars beyond. The walls were covered with a layer of frost, adorned with mistletoe and ivy. The only lights were small lanterns on round, circular tables that filled the hall, the long tables nowhere to be found. 

They ended up at a table with other Slytherins, Blaise making a gallant show of pulling out Ari’s chair for her. “Oh, thank you!” Ari said, surprised.

Pansy raised a pointed eyebrow at Draco, expecting him to do the same. “Nope – not happening,” Draco said matter-of-factly, causing Pansy’s face to freeze into a glare. Blaise and Ari snickered. 

Looking towards the Champion’s table, Ari could see Viktor and Hermione speaking animatedly to one another, saw her blush when he touched her cheek briefly with his thumb. Harry was staring at them with a quizzical expression, completely in the dark. 

At her own table, Blaise kept the conversation humming along, talking about the beautiful scenery of the Great Hall, his excitement to see the Weird Sisters play live, and what he got for Christmas. Pansy also chattered on as usual, but Ari could see her eyes consistently flicking to the head table. Draco was relatively quiet, his eyes constantly meeting hers. It was the look in them that Ari didn’t quite know what to make of, changing from a harder determination to a soft glance that mirrored what she had seen before. Once everyone had finished eating, and the noise in the hall began to grow, Dumbledore stood from the Champion’s Table. “Students and esteemed guests, please stand with me.”

As they did, the tables disappeared towards the back, the front of the hall now dominated by a large stage. At this, The Weird Sisters walked on, looking like a wizard hair metal band. “I haven't seen them live yet!” Ari heard Blaze whisper to her, as the hall exploded in applause. 

The lights flickered out on the tables as a series of lights came down, revealing a huge dance floor in front of the stage. The Champions came to the center, Harry hesitantly following. The Weird Sisters struck up a slow beat as the Champions and their dates began to twirl. “Someone really should have given Potter some dancing lessons,” Pansy whispered, causing a ripple of laughter to surround her.

Some of the other students had begun to join them. Ari saw Blaise’s hand extend before her, “Miss Astoria,” he said, grin outdoing his serious tone, “May I have this dance?”

She took his hand, matching his tone, “You may,” before smiling back. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw Draco’s hard stare, narrowing in on their touching hands. There was nothing she could do about it now. 

Blaise drew her close to him and began to revolve, leading her through the complicated steps of the Viennese waltz. Astoria must have learned some of the footwork because she could feel the muscle memory, her body dipping of its accord. Not to mention, he was a natural born dancer and lead. “You’re very good at this,” she said, looking up at him. 

“I’ve had some practice,” before murmuring, “You look beautiful tonight.”

“Oh – er, thanks,” blushing, not used to this level of praise, “I was serious when I said you look great, too.” 

His cheeks deepened, causing Ari to coyly smile at him. To her left, she saw a flash of silvery blonde and black. Looking over Blaise’s shoulder, she could see Pansy and Draco spinning effortlessly, as if they had been practicing for this moment their whole lives. 

_Would it look like that if we danced together?_

His eyes seized on her momentarily, as if hearing her thought, before he spun away. The song started coming to an end. Blaise’s mock-chivalrous side came back, asking in an extremely formal tone, “Do you think I could have the next dance as well, Miss Astoria?”

“Well Mr. Blaise, I do declare – ugh I can’t keep this up. Of course, you can.”

He laughed loudly at that, his good-natured, open laugh. 

The Weird Sisters started playing a much more up-tempo beat. He took both of her hands and lead her forward, then back, pulling her hips close to his. It felt extremely suggestive, and yet – something felt off. The smile on his lips wasn’t connecting to his eyes, the spark at their bodies touching wasn’t there. Ari realized at even touching his hand, neither of them felt anything. He looked up, over the heads of the couples and groups dancing together, towards a corner. He smiled to himself, small and genuine, his eyes crinkling. 

“What do you see over there?” she asked. 

“Oh – er, Fred Weasley is doing something mental with some friends. Looks like they’re pulling a prank on…Neville!”

Ari looked out over, to see one of the Weasley twins teasing Neville, surrounded by friends. 

_Wait –_

_How could he tell –_

She looked up. His smile was back. It hit her with the force of a ten-ton truck. _It was a smile of longing_. Their conversation earlier swept through her brain, how he had talked about the Weasleys with such warmth – 

_It was just for Fred, wasn’t it?_

“Blaise,” she asked hesitantly, “How can you tell them apart?”

His eyes swept down towards her, smile gone, face suddenly tight, “Oh – You know –” 

She looked up at him, asking softly, “It’s Fred, isn’t it?”

His steps faltered, off the beat, “I don’t know what you mean –” 

“It’s okay –” 

His face was guarded now, no longer the open book she thought it was before. _Was it ever, or was that just what he wanted others to see? How much pressure was he under?_

_How much pressure were all her friends under?_

“I really don’t know what you mean, Astoria,” he repeated, this time with slightly more force. They had stopped dancing, but their hands were still clasped. 

“I’m sorry – just if you ever want to talk about it, you can come to me, okay?” their faces were close together, Ari’s voice low while the roar of music surrounded them.

“Okay –” he said hesitantly, so faint it was almost a whisper. 

She was about to say more when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Astoria, could I have the next dance?” 

She could tell instantly It was Draco. His tone was gentle, almost pleading. She looked up at him, realizing he must have seen them together and misinterpreted their actions. _Oh, Draco_ –

She looked at Blaise, comprehension dawning on his face, “She’s all yours, mate,” he said, before he added, “Astoria, it’s been a pleasure.” 

“You too, Blaise –” leaving a thousand things left unsaid, she simply smiled reassuringly at him. Her heart grew when she saw it being returned. _Maybe he’ll be okay_ , she thought, before turning to Draco. 

He looked suddenly shy, saying quietly, “Now I don’t know if I can dance like Zabini –” 

_He had definitely seen us_ – “Do you want me to teach you?” she asked, looking up at him. 

“What – I – err –” 

“It’s easy, take my hands –” 

As he hesitantly slid his palms onto hers, Ari felt her nerves jump at his touch, his fingers slowly intertwining with hers. “Good – now step closer to me –” 

He did as he was told, bright spots growing on his cheeks. Ari was flushing slightly too, “Now listen for the beat and follow the way my hips move –” 

She tried the simple footwork of moving forward and backward, slightly swinging her hips to the rhythm. At first, his movements were stiff and uncooperative. Ari bridged the gap between their bodies, their hips touching, as she swayed from side to side. He followed her steps, forward and backward – 

“There – see – you’re doing it!” she said, looking up at him, triumphant. He was staring straight at her – 

_His eyes_ –

Were they always that color, like the color of the sea during a massive storm – 

Were they always looking at her like that – asking her to drown into their depths – 

Asking her to be _his_ –

His hands let go of hers as they moved to the small of her back, pulling her towards him till there was no space left between their bodies. His face was so tantalizingly close to hers, her eyes wandered down his nose to his lips, watched them part in response, in waiting. She tilted her head upward as his face came closer and closer to hers, both heartbeats thumping erratically – 

The loud beat around her suddenly stopped. They both pulled apart, looking around, dazed. 

The music changed. “Do you – do you want to get some air?” she asked him, realizing she was breathless. 

“Yeah – I think – I think that would be good –” he said, running a hand through his hair. 

One hand stayed on the small of her back, keeping her close as they walked towards the doors. She longed to grab his hand, feel its solid weight in hers once again – 

They walked out the massive oak doors to find the side of the castle had been enchanted to a fairy grotto, complete with rose bushes and thousands of twinkling lights in the darkness. It wasn’t cold, either, in fact, far from it. It felt _warm_. Ari saw one of the lights move, and suddenly understood they were thousands of tiny real fairies– dancing, moving, and talking to one another. 

“Wow –” she breathed, looking around her in wonder. 

Draco was now looking at her curiously, “How do you do that?”

“Do what?” she asked back, cocking her head to the side.

His words were quiet in the still December air, “Look like everything you’re experiencing is for the first time.”

His words angled straight into her heart. She looked back at him, mischievously, “Because maybe it is –” blushing as the words left her mouth. _If only you knew how true those words were._

He grinned at her, lopsidedly, as he led her into the grotto. They found it mercifully empty, choosing a bench in a small, intimate corner to sit at. She looked around, up and at the fairies, towards him. She admired the way his profile looked, so strong and tall, the aristocratic shadows of his face. Her eyes pulled upwards, towards the sky. She noticed, right above the bench, was a small sprig of mistletoe. Her heart began to bang against her chest. 

“Hey Draco?” she asked, her voice a whisper. 

“Mmmm?” he asked, matching her tone.

“Above us – there’s – there’s mistletoe.” 

He looked up, regarding the mistletoe for a moment, before he looked back at her. Before she could register the way his eyes looked in the twinkling lights, his lips were on hers. 

Time stopped.

She felt a jolt of electricity as they touched, passing straight into her heart. The softness of his lips overrode her other senses. 

_I am going to drown_ -

Her hands reached up to the back of his neck, from his collar into his hair, finally getting to feel the softness of his hair around her fingertips. He pulled her closer till the glorious warmth of his body radiated into hers, deepening the kiss as she parted her lips for his tongue. His teeth lightly nipped against her lower lip –

 _Wait_ –

She moaned softly as his tongue overlook her mouth –

 _We can’t be doing this_ – 

His hands were on her lower back, wrapped around her. Begging her to be closer to him, anything to make them closer – 

_Ari_ – 

_He doesn’t know your real name_ –

Her eyes opened with a start, watching his enraptured expression that she caused. She pulled away, every nerve ending in her body shouting at her to stay. Her heart was beating so fast she almost couldn’t breathe. 

She saw his eyes come back into focus, brow furrowing at her expression. His voice was rough, “Did I do something wrong? Tell me –”

“No – Draco, you did nothing wrong –” 

_Oh, but I did._

“Then come back here,” he rumbled, drawing her to him. Oh, how she wanted to give in to him, to his magnetic pull. But she - 

“We – we can’t -” 

She watched his expression fall. She wanted to comfort him somehow, even though she knew she was breaking his heart. She took his hands in hers, marveling how big and warm they were. They were shaking slightly, matching hers. 

“How do you feel about me?” he asked, his words cutting into her core like a knife. 

She remembered the way he looked in front of the lake, tried to stop her traitorous heart from beating out of her chest. “I – I –” 

_I like you - so much -_

“Did what just happened mean nothing to you?” his voice had a hard edge to it, expecting rejection.

She looked at him in bewilderment, “How – how could you ask that? That was – that was –“, the words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, “—Magic—“. 

She felt tears in her eyes begin to form as she looked at him, his expression sad, angry, and filled with so much longing for _her_. She knew he was in the right; she knew she couldn’t keep lying to him, “What if – what if I’m not who you think I am?” she asked, her voice breaking. 

Confusion and disbelief crested over his features, “Why – why would you say that?” 

“I know it doesn’t make sense, but you have to trust me, okay? This isn’t – it’s not fair to you – and we – _can’t_ – and it doesn’t matter how you or I feel –” 

“Of course, it matters – do you know how much I want this? Do you know how much I want you?”

 _I want you too, so badly_. “I – I know—” 

He sighed heavily, looking away and then back at her. One of her tears broke and cascaded down her face. He tenderly wiped it away, his thumb lingering on her face. 

He regarded the sorrow in her face, before saying, “Astoria – please.”

As she started to shake her head, his hand caressed her cheek, before coming to softly rest at her jaw. It was as light as a feather, almost as if feeling the light of the sun after a long, cold winter. She closed her eyes, trying not to bask in it. 

He pulled her chin upwards, bringing her lips to his once more. Like the touch of his hand, it was bittersweet and yearning, filling her with an intense desire to forget everything about her life and run headlong towards him. In the end, he pulled away first. 

He seemed to come to some conclusion, his eyes glinting with the light of the fairies that surrounded them. “Could you,” Ari heard his voice break, she hated how she was doing this to him, “Could you give me some time?”

“- What?” 

It was his turn to throw a curveball at her. “For – for _us_ – could you give me some time? To prove – to prove that this is worth it?” 

She sat on the bench, dumbfounded, thinking it over. Realistically, she knew things weren’t possible. She wondered if he would still want her if he knew the extent of her deceit, of what she knew. One small neglected seed of hope sprouted a small stem in a forgotten corner of her soul, calling to her. _Believe in this_ , it said. 

In the end, she said the only thing she could have.

“Okay.”

She watched as the corners of his mouth curved into a beatific smile, feeling the seedling begin to reach up towards the light.

\-----

Ari had to ask as they were walking back towards the Great Hall, “Okay, seriously, how did you learn to kiss like that?”

His face broke out in a smug grin, “I could ask the same thing about you, you know –” 

“Fair, but my question still stands.”

“I’ll answer if you do.”

Ari let out an exaggerated sigh, trying to figure out what to say, “Fine. There was a – a boy I saw for a time. Last summer.” 

_Not entirely a lie, we were together last summer –_

“Was his name _Jake_?”

“Maaybe – Wait! I feel like you’re trying to distract me from the fact that it’s supposed to be your turn.” 

“There – there was a French girl I met over the summer –” 

“Ooooh, a French girl, huh –” Ari asked in a teasing tone. 

Draco ignored her, “She was staying at the manor, friends of the family –” 

“She stayed with you? And you mean to tell me all you did was _kiss_?”

He turned beet red at that, sputtering, “Well – I – Hey! This isn’t fair!” 

Ari knew she had him caught, she grinned evilly, “I’ll stop. I’m sorry. But – if you don’t mind me asking, what happened between you and her?”

“Oh – it was just a summer thing, you know.”

Ari did not know, but dubiously nodded at him. He laughed, asking, “What about you and _Jake_?”

“Will you stop emphasizing his name like that? It’s really not all that uncommon –”

“ _Sure_ , if you’re a muggle – Are you avoiding my question?”

“Absolutely. I’m sad you noticed,” her tone became more serious, thinking, “He and I – sometimes people aren’t meant to work out, I think.” 

“I’d wager it’s the name –” 

“You really are impossible, you know that?” she said, smacking him on the shoulder. 

Draco grabbed her hand, pulling her close to him. He whispered, voice low against her ear, “I’m jealous you kissed someone else like that.”

It was now Ari’s turn to become bright red. She was in the process of articulating a retort when she caught a hint of a shadow along a side wall. Her eyes roved around, trying to see if she could hear a noise. Draco’s mouth opened, formulating a question. She put a finger to his lips, stopping him, pointing in the direction of the wall. She pulled Draco’s robes with her, crouching down to follow the silhouette. There – against the wall she saw a blur of grey and black together. She tried to make it out in the darkness – 

It was _Pansy. And Fleur Delacour_. Smashed up against one another, hands in each other’s hair. 

She turned to look at Draco just as he looked down at her, both opening their mouths in wordless shock. 

Ari grinned at Draco, seeing it mirrored in his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the wait was worth it ;D
> 
> This is probably one of my favorite things I've written thus far. 
> 
> Now onto the dress inspiration, as I spent FAR too much time figuring all of this out. [Ari's dress is a blue version of the iconic Gwyneth Paltrow Ralph Lauren Dress ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Ralph_Lauren_dress_of_Gwyneth_Paltrow). She wore this in 1999, but I figured because it's generally considered a 90s dress, and they're magical and Pansy is super fashionable, that I could fudge it a little bit. 
> 
> Here are her [makeup](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/makeup/g33597880/90s-makeup-looks/) and [hairstyle](https://www.byrdie.com/90s-hairstyles) ideas as well. I'm thinking a lot like early Mila Kunis for hair. 
> 
> Now onto the fantastic Pansy. I thought Harry's description of Draco's dress robes was too funny not to include, but giving Pansy a frilly pink dress would be a travesty on all accounts. [I'm hoping some people caught on to the dress I was emulating, but if not - it's the uncomparable Princess Diana revenge dress!](https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/the-real-story-of-princess-diana-s-revenge-dress-and-how-she-nearly-didn-t-wear-it/ar-BB16rZ3v?li=BBnb2gh) She actually wore it a few months before the dance took place so the timing could not have been more perfect. 
> 
> As far as her hair and makeup, I took a lot of inspiration from early [Winona Ryder](https://www.instylemag.com.au/90s-hairstyles). Such a style icon, my goodness. And a [bitten red lip](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/makeup/g33597880/90s-makeup-looks/) was the 90s lip.
> 
> _squeals_


	21. The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari learns some new things about Astoria's childhood.

...

_A young Astoria stood outside the gate of a sprawling and forbidding estate. A Gothic mansion in every sense of the word, it stood on a lonely stretch of road, far apart from the rest of the outside world. Easily three stories tall, the turreted windows stood staring down at her, eerie and dark. She shivered, reaching for the hand of her mother._

_The gate slowly creaked open as she and her mother walked up the long driveway towards the mansion, guarded by tall, spindly trees._

_At the end of the circular drive she was greeted by one of the most glamorous women Astoria had ever seen, with shocking ice blond hair that was pulled up into a tight chignon. “Miranda, how lovely to see you again! This must be Astoria? My, how you have grown since I last saw you.” Her eyes were an intense aquamarine but had a surprising warmth to them._

_“Yes, Narcissa, thank you so much for having us over,” she said, reaching over to kiss her cheek._

_“Draco will be thrilled to have a playmate, do come inside.”_

_Astoria stepped inside, eyes immediately growing wide. A massive staircase to the left hugged the interior of the wall, leading to several adjoining wings. The walls were covered in hundreds of family portraits, each severely looking down on their domain._

_“Follow me to the tearoom, I’m sure one of the house-elves has already made us some.”_

_Astoria followed her mother and Narcissa up the grand staircase to the left. Further down the hall, she found herself in a large drawing room wallpapered in a deep red brocade. The ceiling was arched, from which several chandeliers hung. Seated off to the side was a thin boy, with the same shocking hair of his mother. He glanced up from his book, but seemingly had little interest in the visitors. “Draco – darling, say hello to your new friend, Astoria.”_

_“Hello,” replied the boy sullenly, before turning back to his book._

_“Hi – what are you reading?” Astoria asked, curious at the book in his hands, which seemed to be covered in a thick, scaly material._

_“It’s a book about dragons. Father got in in Romania for me,” a hint of pride in his voice._

_“Can I see it?”_

_“No,” he enunciated clearly, before snapping the book shut._

_“Draco – that is not how we treat guests, is it?”_

_“No, Mother,” he said begrudgingly, before very slowly passing Astoria the book._

_Astoria busied herself on the floor, eagerly looking over all the pictures. She found a pair of large blue-grey eyes regarding her from a side couch, before he sat next to her on the ground. “You’re ignoring the best parts – here –”, showing her the text._

_“How can the best parts of the books be words?”_

_His eyes stung at the indignity, “Read it first –”_

_She stared at him before doing what she was told, soon lost in the tales of great dragon handlers of the past. He stayed with her, reading over her shoulder. “Look at them already,” Narcissa said to Astoria’s mother, glancing lovingly at her son, “You know – our family histories have crossed paths before.”_

_“They did? I was unaware. I thought the Malfoys and the Greengrass’ were not related by blood or marriage for at least several hundred years.”_

_“Yes, this is from the sixteenth century, I think? Something Lucius and I came across years ago when we were remodeling the library – sad tale of doomed romance. Quite tragic, actually.”_

_“How dreadful!” Miranda replied, “I’ll have to ask Damian and see if he knows anything.”_

_“Of course,” Narcissa busied herself at her tea table, “How do you take your tea?”_

…

“—See Draco, look at her – she’s not waking up, and you can see her eyes moving back and forth –” 

“I see,” came his fatigued voice, as she felt her hair being softly brushed away from her forehead, “Astoria, can you hear me? If you can, please try opening your eyes, okay?” 

_I – I’m trying Draco, I swear – I don’t know why –_

“Look at that – I think her breathing changed? Do you still think we should take her to Madam Pomfrey’s?” 

_No! Anything but that – please –_

“I’m not sure –” 

Ari was able to break apart her eyelashes, green light streaming into her retinas. She began to make out the outlines of Draco and Pansy, prying open her eyelids through sheer will alone. 

“There you are –” she could see the tension leaving Draco’s shoulders, wishing she could reach up and touch his arm. Her fingertips flexed, and she felt his hand in hers, Pansy’s hand soon finding its way to her bicep. 

“So - sorry – guys –”

“Shhh, you don’t have to speak yet. We’re here, okay? We’re just glad you woke up.” 

“Please don’t take – me – to – Madam Pomfrey’s – “ 

Pansy grinned, “I knew that would wake her.”

\-----

“So, you dreamed about the manor?” came Draco’s incredulous voice.

Now sitting up and able to talk normally, Ari was enjoying a steaming cup of tea with honey, “Yes – I think it was a memory. You have a very fancy book about dragons, you know –” she said, smirking at him. 

“Oh yeah - the book Father gave me. You remember that now?”

“Yes, as well as your extremely particular way of reading said book. Who doesn’t like pictures?” 

“It’s not that I dislike pictures –”

“Sure –” 

Draco was sitting at the edge of her bed, talking animatedly, but his hand still hadn’t left hers. Pansy was silent but watching the entire interaction with gleaming, all-knowing eyes. “That’s not what is important. I think my dream was trying to tell me something – do you know anything about a doomed love between a Greengrass and a Malfoy? Several hundred years ago?”

“Sounds quite depressing. Not off the top of my head. I’ll owl Mother a little later.”

“I should owl Daphne too –” 

“Woe is me, I have no one to owl,” came Pansy’s mournful voice, causing Ari to break out into giggles. 

\-----

“You have to tell me what happened.” 

“Only if you tell me first,” parroted Pansy’s trademark sing-song voice.

“Fine – well. Actually. There’s a lot. How much time do you have?” 

Pansy rolled her eyes, “Just say it.” 

“You swear you will not tell a single soul? Not even write it anywhere?”

Pansy pinky swore the way Ari had taught her, treating the action with an extravagant sense of faux-solemnity, “Um, well, Blaise isn’t exactly interested in me –” 

“He’s not?”

“No, I think – I think he might be interested in – men…” 

_One ginger haired man in particular –_

“Oh. That explains a lot.” 

“See why you can’t tell anyone? And how did you know?”

“I see all, remember? Blaise has been hanging around the Weasley twins pretty solidly for two years. It’s one of them, isn’t it?” at this, Ari nodded, surprised she figured it out so quickly, “That still doesn’t answer what bloody happened between you and Draco. Draco’s eyes have turned into hearts, I swear. You should have seen him when I had to get him this morning, he practically leaped up the stairs.” 

“Yeah – sorry about that, again.” 

“Not anything you or I can do about it at the moment. _So_ –” she said, looking at Ari pointedly. 

“Well, we, err – may have kissed. Twice.” _And now seem to have no problems touching one another –_

“And the wedding is when, exactly? I need to make sure I can pencil you in – ”

“I thought I had forbidden you from talking about that!” 

“That was when nothing was happening –” 

“Well, nothing still is happening. I don’t think – we can’t –” Ari searched for the right words, “It’s just not a good idea.” _Trying to explain this is an absolute nightmare._

Pansy fixed Ari with an icy stare, “So, you’re just going to flirt till one of you dies?” 

“He may have mentioned he was going to try to convince me –” 

“Good for Malfoy, he finally grew a backbone,” Pansy’s tone was sarcastic, but her eyes had a shine of approval, “I have one question. Is he a good kisser?”

“Do you really want to know?” Ari said, trying not to blush. 

“Of course, though I can already tell –” 

“Well, you know how he has that confidence in his day to day life, well that carries to – to - other things,” Ari watched as Pansy’s smirk grew, “Did you know he had a fling with some French girl last summer?” 

“I’m not surprised. There is always a line of girls wanting to spend time with him. Probably because of his last name. It also helps that he looks the part.” 

_Oh_. Instead of making her jealous, the thought made her feel rather sad. _No wonder he’s always so defensive –_

“Your expression alone is proof why I have to prod you both into this.”

“Thank you? I think? That feels like a backwards compliment. Wait – isn’t it your turn?”

“Ah – I was hoping you had forgotten. Well – let’s see, as you were dancing with Blaise, and Draco was having a staring contest with Blaise’s back – Blaise looks like a fantastic dancer, by the way. I may have taught Neville how to dance. A bit.”

“You _what_?”

“He just looked so helpless on the dance floor, and his date – one of the Weasel offspring, I think, was looking absolutely knackered, so I felt somewhat obligated –”

“I am so sad I missed this.”

“He was a most unwilling partner, let me tell you.” 

“I bet his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head when you appeared.” 

“A bit, yeah –” Pansy said, smiling genuinely at the thought, “Once he got the hang of it, it wasn’t that bad. I at least got him to stop assaulting the poor girl’s feet -- I came back to find your forsaken lover boy stabbing the table with his wand –”

“Oh no, really?” Ari groaned, “I knew he saw us; it must have been when I was talking to Blaise– “

“Yeah, that makes sense. You two were getting pretty close.” 

“I was trying to talk to him about _that_ , all right?” 

“I know, I know. I just…I get why Draco was upset. So, I politely suggested he ask you to dance with him—”

“By politely you mean –” 

“-Threatened him that you might run away with Blaise to a desert island if he didn’t get a move on? Me – never –” 

“You’re horrible,” Ari said matter-of-factly. 

“It worked, didn’t it? And you guys looked quite cute out there –” 

“We did?” 

Pansy’s eyes became bright, “Yes – Draco played his ‘I can’t dance’ act brilliantly.”

“That was a lie?!” 

Ari’s mind began replaying the dance she had with Draco. It certainly didn’t seem a lie, _but then again_ – “Merlin, Astoria, are you sure you were sorted into the right house? I mean, I’m sure it wasn’t all an act, but the boy’s been in dance lessons since he was five. I will say, you were teaching him something more _suggestive_ than what our ballroom instructors ever would –”

“I was not –” 

Draco walked up the steps into their dormitory, parking himself on Ari’s bed. “I owled Mother, I expect she’ll get back to us within the week – “ He saw Pansy and Ari were both looking at him, eyes narrowed, “What –” 

Ari spoke first, “First off, how are you able to get up here? Aren’t the stairs supposed to turn into a massive stone slide, or something –” 

_He did lie, didn’t he –_

_That shifty little –_

“Oh – that – Pansy and I figured out if it’s an emergency I can get up here. So, all I have to do is think something horrible is happening, which typically isn’t far off. Seems a bit of a double standard anyways, I know Warrington brings girls up to his bed all the time –” 

“Ew – “ 

“He’s actually not that bad looking,” Pansy said, considering.

Ari couldn’t take it anymore, “That’s gross. Also, this isn’t the point – you – you lied!”

“What in Merlin’s name are you talking about?” 

“Last night –” 

Two high points of color were both appearing on Draco’s and Ari’s faces. Pansy was looking back and forth at them, like one would watch the Olympics, amusement filling her face. Draco said in a low voice, “I did not lie to you last night, Astoria – I meant –” 

Ari cut him off, “The – the dance! You said you couldn’t dance like that!” 

“Oh – _that_ –” His muted panic turned into a sheepish grin. 

“And I fell for it completely –” 

Draco’s look became wolfish, “Well you did teach me some things...”

“What did I do in this life to end up with the two of you, I swear.”

“How could you say such a thing? I think it’s the highest praise of all, actually,” Draco and Pansy were now sporting the same looks of angelic purity, Draco nodding at Pansy’s assertion.

“This is exactly what I mean –” 

“Anyways, don’t you want to know what happened to the rest of my night?”

“Yes, although I’m terrified to think what else you might reveal –” 

Pansy smirked, “So while you two were _dancing_ , I was standing off to the side, and I happened to notice that Fleur Delacour and her date had gotten into a slight quarrel about something she had said –” 

Draco and Ari glanced over at one another, feigning innocence, “Which was not that bad, Davies can be a right git. I merely pointed out the fallacy in his argument, causing him to walk off in a huff. Fleur said she liked my dress,” Pansy’s cheeks had turned slightly pink, “And we ended up having a wonderful conversation about Beauxbatons –” 

“And?” Draco asked, impatiently. 

“And – that’s it. I had a patently boring evening otherwise,” Pansy said, decidedly looking everywhere but their faces.

“Pansy –” 

“- Astoria and I saw you -” Draco said, finishing Ari’s sentence.

“You – what?”

“You and Fleur, _outside_ -” 

“ _You did_?”

“Yes, we did,” Ari said, hesitating for a second, “It’s your life and if you don’t want to tell us then that’s fine, but we’re rooting for you. Right, Draco?”

Draco and Pansy caught a fleeting glance. Pansy grinned at Draco, before Draco looked at Ari, softly saying, “Yes, _we_ are.” _What was that about?_

“Well – thanks, I guess. Actually, I should tell you, I’m supposed to meet her on New Year’s Eve,” Pansy said, smiling to herself. 

\-----

“Where are we going, exactly?” Ari asked Draco, trudging after him in the dark. A single wand lit their path. 

“It’s a secret.” Even in the semi-darkness, she could see his flash of white teeth. 

“Are we even supposed to be out here? Isn’t it – late?”

“Astoria, it’s New Year’s Eve, do you really think anyone would be out patrolling the halls?” 

“Well – er –” _He has a point_. They were heading down to the lake, of that much Ari could be sure. He reached for her hand, leading her down the more difficult parts of the pathway. They wound their way along the shore, towards the more isolated area she had found him hurling stones from months prior. 

_Oh, wow_. Her breath caught in her throat. Amongst a sheltered copse of trees sat a fluffy blanket with a picnic basket, surrounded by a dozen lit candles. 

“Did you – did you do this for me?”

He grinned, catching her stunned reaction, “Well – I had some help, but yes. Do you like it?”

“Like it, I – I love it.” 

He pulled her down the blanket. Ari was captivated by the way the moonlight reflected in the deep waters below, barely noticing when a mug was placed into her hands. She smelled the butterscotch from the warm foamy glass before she looked down. “ _Butterbeer_?”

“My – you are a perceptive one –” 

Ari glared at him over the rim of her glass. She noticed they were sitting quite close together, Draco’s arm right behind her, propping himself up. 

“How did you manage all of this,” she asked with a slight air of wonder, “I’m with you all the time – I don’t see how –” 

He jokingly scoffed, “I’m Draco Malfoy – you think I can’t pull off something like this –” 

Ari shot her hand out, smacking him on the arm. He smirked, managing to keep his butterbeer upright. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, “I am very glad you like it, though."

A delicious shiver ran down her spine. She turned her head to the side, catching his face barely inches from hers. She watched his pupils dilate as they looked at one another, daring the other to make the first move. Draco spoke first, eyes moving down her face, “I have another surprise for you –” before his lips brushed hers, so light she was almost sure nothing had happened. 

He was suddenly on his feet, hand extended towards her, “Miss Greengrass, may I have this dance?”

Ari heard soft piano music coming from somewhere as she placed her hand in his, left speechless as he pulled her up. Draco positioned his hand on her waist, the other leading her as he whirled her in circles, cloak billowing around her. His movements were precise and perfectly timed as he looked down at her, smiling at her hesitant expression. She felt off-kilter, as if she no longer held all the cards and they were all in his hands – 

“Why – why are you doing this?”

“Dancing?” 

“Ye—yes, well – all of this –” 

He had slowed down, and they swayed in the moonlight, so close she could feel his heartbeat, “Because when I saw you with him, I couldn’t stand it. You looked so beautiful, and I couldn’t have you –” 

“But you have to know that – that meant nothing –” 

“It didn’t?”

At this, he spun her away from him, she curved back, trying to meet him, but he skillfully evaded her, sending her in another circle. He was going too fast, she felt dizzy. His hand met hers, “It’s really nothing – it could never be anything – like you. The grotto – I couldn’t have done that with anyone else – I’ve never –” 

_– Felt that before –_

He pulled her close to him. They looked into each other’s eyes as he murmured, voice rough with emotion, “Then why can’t you say yes?”

“I don’t know how to explain – I wish I could. I’m so, so sorry, Draco.“

_Would you even believe me if you knew? Would you –_

His lips crashed onto hers as he pulled her up to his height, wrapping his arms tightly around her body. He tasted like butterscotch, warm and sweet in the cold air. She tried to pour her feelings into her response, tried to express her sorrow that they couldn’t be together, why she couldn’t give in – 

_How much I want to._

Her hands tangled in his hair, bringing them even closer, trying so hard to explain. He responded with an intense desire, slowly lowering her back to her feet, hands running first down, and then up the length of her back, the column of her neck, before cupping her head. He bit her bottom lip asking for entrance, her lips parted as she drew in his tongue, feeling him groan.

On the opposite shore, a series of rockets went off over the Durmstrang ship. They both opened their eyes to see fireworks break over the lake, illuminating the dark sky before falling into a haze of sparks. “Happy New Year, Draco,” she whispered to him, before she brought his head down to hers once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell you how much I've come to adore Pansy's character.
> 
> Some background on Malfoy Manor, I've somewhat based it on [Tyntesfield](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield),  
> which looks like it was created for the explicit purpose of winding up in some gothic horror novel. Just imagine it with the mist creeping in in November.


	22. The Burned Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari learns about one of Astoria's ancestors.

The first day of the new term was an absolute slog. Ari and Pansy were only able to groggily get out of bed after their fifth alarm, which was blaring more and more dire warnings with each new beep. Even Daphne, who typically got up early, showed up in the bathroom to brush her teeth just as they were finishing getting ready, still in her cake socks Ari had gotten her for Christmas. 

“I’m so glad you liked your Christmas present,” Ari said, grinning. 

“They’re the best,” Daphne said, a hint of delight in her usually calm voice, “Did you know they make the exact same cakes at the Malfoy Manor?” 

“No, but I’m not surprised. You didn’t find the manor too creepy, did you?” Ari said, shuddering at the thought of ghosts. 

The ghosts at Hogwarts had an almost childish humor to them she found endearing, particularly Nearly Headless Nick. She figured the ones at the manor would be the types to stare you from the wallpaper in the middle of the night, following you from room to room. 

Daphne’s eyes grew round, “You know – I did see something late one night –”

“— _Nope_ , don’t tell me –” 

“Astoria, ghosts are not that bad,” Pansy chided from the opposite mirror, “Think of them like, like shadows with unfinished business. We have a lot of them at the country house I grew up in as a child -”

“That makes it so much worse. Remind me to never accept any invitations from your house –” 

Pansy stopped applying her mascara to glare at Ari, causing Daphne to break out into a fit of giggles. “I wanted to tell you, Draco’s mum said that she would sending some books we found to Draco this week, including the information you asked for.”

“Oh really? Perfect.”

“I’m sorry you fainted again.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it too much. We’ll get this figured out, yeah?” 

Giving Daphne a quick side hug, she and Pansy trudged downstairs, hoping strong tea was waiting for them in the Great Hall. 

\-----

“Can you believe it?! – ”

“Yes Draco, he’s like seven feet tall –” Pansy said, already bored. 

“That big ugly lout will never show his face at Hogwarts again!” Draco chuckled to himself, “Hagrid, a half giant –”

Ari, however, was not having any of it, “I refuse to read it.” _Especially whatever horrible things you have to say_.

“You know, there’s a quote in here from Crabbe. Bloody funny one, too –” 

“Wait – you didn’t – talk to her?” _Didn’t he say something terrible? About how we all hated Hagrid?_

“No – ” he was looking at Ari with a puzzled expression on his face, “Why would I do that?”

Ari’s eyes grew big, considering. _Had something changed_?

“I did see her loitering around the Great Hall and the grounds last week – doesn't she remind you of a bug? The way she scuttles around, and her hair is horrendous –” 

“She does,” Draco agreed, before a slight sneer began to snake its way across his face, “I can’t wait to show this to Potter and his little friends –” 

“Do that, and I will personally rip that paper up and shove it down your throat,” Ari said levelly. 

“Okay, okay – Someone is touchy the first day of term, aren’t they?” Draco replied, putting his hands up in mock surrender. 

Ari glared at Draco, but her demeanor was opposed by a little sliver of hope that was wrapping its way around her core. _Had he not talked to her because of me_? As they walked towards Charms class, she briefly brushed her hand down Draco’s spine, hearing his sharp intake of breath in response.

\-----

Two days later, the Malfoy’s exhausted, hampered owl could be seen once again, this time carrying a large square parcel carefully held together by twine. It landed with a thud on the Slytherin table, causing all the plates and cups within a 5-foot radius to clatter. 

Not glancing up from her magazine, Pansy casually stated, “Well, I know what we’re doing this evening.” 

\-----

In a dusty, quiet corner of the library they surveyed their horde of books, carefully cataloguing the Malfoy tomes. “Well, these all just look evil,” Ari muttered, staring down at them. Several emanated an odd creeping fog, and one even had a large scorch mark radiating from its cover, as if someone had purposefully tried to set it on fire. 

“Don’t they? What charming light reading for a Wednesday,” Pansy breezily remarked. 

“Where did your family get these, exactly?” Ari questioned, looking up at Draco with a slight hesitation. _And what else do they have in their ‘archive’?_

“Some of it’s been in the family for generations, some of it Father collected. We have a pretty extensive collection of family diaries and that sort of thing.” He sounded – _proud? – Of this_? She felt a chill from more than just the gloomy library. 

“Ah, so you come from a long line of healers, I see?” Ari joked, watching as Draco’s face broke out in a slight grin. 

“Something like that,” he said softly, rubbing his hair. 

“Did your mother mention anything about that memory I had?”

“Oh – yes – something they found when I was little. Read this,” he said. His hand stroked hers as he passed a letter to her, eyes regarding her face. Ari blushed and shook her head slightly, attempting to concentrate. 

_My Darling Draco,  
We missed you terribly at Christmas, though it was great to hear that you had a delightful time at the Yule Ball. We’re also sorry to hear that Astoria fainted once again, we know how dear she is to you. It’s very interesting to me that a memory of the manor came to her during her incident, it is something I will have to discuss with our healer further. _

_I hope she considered it a happy one, as your Father and I would love for her to spend time at the manor in the future._

_We had a wonderful time with her family. Damien, Miranda, and Daphne are an absolute joy to be around. There is nothing quite like spending time with a family of a similar esteemed lineage._

_Regarding your question, I do remember what you are talking of. Your father and I were in the process of remodeling the library after you were born and came across this partially destroyed family history. I have sent it with the collection of books that might prove useful._

_Inside, it included a reference to a distant ancestor named Endymion Malfoy who was briefly engaged to Celine Greengrass. Their love ended in tragedy, and they both died. We believe they may have committed suicide together but could not piece together the full history – maybe you and Astoria will have more luck?_

_Sending you all my love,  
Your devoted Mother_

Ari considered the letter, fighting off the impulse to rub her eyes vigorously. _How much has Draco told them about us – They must be pushing him to find a ‘good’ pureblooded partner, too – god, the fucking pressure he must be under –_

 _Ari. Focus. Not the time for this_. Ignoring the parts of her screaming at her about the many red flags she saw in the letter, she instead focused on the last pieces. _Endymion and Celine, huh? What a pair of names. No wonder they died._

Something was telling her this was very important; she had never had a memory from Astoria come back to her like that with such clarity. But committing suicide wouldn’t curse a descendent –

_Would it?_

“Hey, guys?”

“Hmm?” Pansy asked drowsily, peering up from her parchment. 

“Would suicide ever result in a curse, you think?”

Draco piped up, “I wondered that too when I read it. I’ve never heard of it before, but then again, far stranger things have happened. Look at Potter.” 

“True –” Pansy trailed off, eyes suddenly alert, focused on something in the distance before she blushed. Draco, seeing Ari’s questioning face, mouthed the name “Fleur”. 

“I’ll – I’ll be right back –”

“We won’t wait up,” Draco called after her. Pansy whacked Draco’s shoulder as she walked past, quickly disappearing into the stacks. 

“Be nice to her, you know she’s excited about this.” 

“What?” Draco’s eyes were the perfect image of innocence, “Didn’t she get in at 3am on New Year’s?”

“Like we were much better –” Ari retorted, before realizing what she had just said. 

Draco grinned, a slight predatory glint to it. His hand reached across the table – 

“Anyways – could you pass me the scorched book?” Ari said, ignoring the flush creeping back in her cheeks. Her hands tingled with the memory of his wavy locks wound around her fingertips – 

The book was placed in front of her from behind, two palms spread squarely on either side of the table. A deep voice nuzzled in her ear, “Here you go.”

She felt shudders travel down her neck. “Draco –“

Ari felt a ghost of a kiss at the base of her jaw, causing her to gasp –

“ _Draco_ –” 

“Mmmm?” 

Another kiss grazed her skin, this one landing just between her jaw and ear. She tried to stop a moan from escaping her lips – _that spot_ –

“What – are you – doing?”

“Handing you a book you asked for –” 

“Like _that_?” her voice coming out as a heady whisper. 

“What other way is there to hand someone a book?”

He kissed there again, this time using just the tiniest bit of teeth to nip at her flesh. And then he was sitting next to her, as if nothing happened, not a hair out of place. Ari, on the other hand, was flushed from her neck up into her cheeks, desperately controlling the urge to pat her hair down. _Or pin him to the table_ –

She looked back at Draco. Actually, his cheeks were slightly more pink than usual, his eyes dark, pupils expanded, “What else did that French girl teach you, exactly?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he replied, nonchalantly opening the burned book in front of her and making a grand show of turning to the dedication page. 

“ _You_!”

“Shh Astoria, we’re in a library,” he scolded, eyes glowing with delight.

Ari glared at him. Draco’s attention turned to the book below, “Some of my ancestors have the most ridiculous names – Tacitus Malfoy – pff –” 

“Yes, _Draco_ , ridiculous indeed – ”

It took him a second to get the joke, causing him to scowl at her smirking face. 

…

_My Honoured Lords and Ladies of the Malfoy Line,_

_It is my deepest pleasure that the illustrious history of the Malfoy family be preserved for future generations. Brief they may be, please accept my humble attempt to capture their memoirs within these pages. Their lives have wholly and irrevocably shaped the wizarding world, forming a preeminent and renowned lineage that will last in perpetuity._

_Our Family’s Humble Servant,_

_Tacitus Malfoy_

…

Ari held one corner of her book with the thumb, Draco turning the pages, as they looked through for any mention of Endymion. “Oh look – there’s another Lucius – Cressida – Cornelius –” Ari mumbled, watching the pages flash by. 

“There!” Draco said, pointing with his finger. This page was partially destroyed, but there he was, at the top of the page.

…

_The Life of Endymion Malfoy, 1570-1590_

_There are wizards born to this world that Merlin himself must have smiled upon their creation. Endymion was such a boy, with handsome, broad features and fair hair, a credit to the Malfoy name. Excelling in everything he tried to accomplish, he set his sights early on assuring the continued blood-purity of the Malfoy line and wizarding world at large. A most-valued proponent of long-standing attempts to banish those of lesser birth from key proceedings within the Ministry, he was strong of heart and moral conviction._

_Deeply enamored with Celine Greengrass, they were betrothed to be married from the age of fourteen. They had declared their motto to be “Eternally and Evermore”, signifying their deep and pure love for one another. Such a shame what happened, when at the young age of twenty, they both tragically lost their lives in a dark_ \------

…

The rest had been blackened, almost as if someone had tried to obliterate what came next. Ari tilted her head, finding Draco’s eyes already on her, “I don’t think –”

“- They committed suicide,” he finished, completing her thought. 

\-----

“She’s really not coming back, is she?” Ari asked, wondering what corner of the library Pansy and Fleur had snuck off to. _How many hidden corners of the library are there, exactly_ –

“Called it, didn’t I?” Draco responded, smugly.

“Why is that something to be proud of?”

Draco glared at her. Ari could see the cogs in his head trying to come up with a retort. 

Before they left the library, she quickly ran to the Herbology section, thumbing through the spines. There in spindly font stood _Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean_ , surrounded by the companion books from other regions. _Perfect! I wondered if they had a copy as well_ –

“Does this mean you’ll be talking to each plant you see?” 

“You finally came up with a snarky answer. I’m so proud of you!” Ari sarcastically retorted, gleeful expression in her eyes. 

He pinched her cheek, chuckling as she yelped, before pulling back her hair to murmur into her ear, “Well, aren’t you trying to be clever?” 

He still had somehow managed to have her beat. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The names for Endymion and Celine were chosen semi-purposefully, based on the Greek myth of their love, although it's spelled Selene in the myth.](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Endymion-Greek-mythology) Not to mention, their names are too perfect not to use :D 
> 
> Two people with the same names as a Greek myth fall in love? What could possibly go wrong? :D


	23. The Gillyweed Plant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The amount of plants I had to research for this, y'all.

They were on their way to another freezing lesson in Herbology. January was shaping up to be even colder than December, and everyone was bundled up in multiple layers. Draco had wrapped himself several times over in – 

_Is that the scarf I got him_? Ari’s heart skipped a beat. 

“Draco you’re looking rather...warm today,” Pansy said, eyes glowing, “Wouldn’t you agree, Astoria?”

 _How does she_ – “You – you look nice today, Draco,” Ari said, trying not to blush. 

He grinned, “I am far warmer than I was this time last year, let me tell you.” 

A thick layer of condensation was covering the inner panes of glass to the greenhouse, revealing the amount of cold humidity that would soon be blasted in their faces. Ari felt like she had been misted with ice water as soon as she walked in, the cold sinking deep into her bones. 

“Why do we even have Herbology in the winter? It’s not like any plants are even growing now,” Pansy complained bitterly as she changed into her dragon-hide gloves. 

“—Actually, that’s er – not exactly true –“ Ari turned to see a furiously blushing Neville, pink from his neck to the tips of his ears, “There are loads of ma—magical and mundane plants that – that – grow in the winter.” 

“Like?” the word coming out of as a puff of water vapor. Pansy had drawn herself to her full height, daring Neville to contradict her.

“Like – like dittany. It grows throughout the year – even though it can be – rare to – to find –” He was standing taller too, even though his ears had become scarlet – 

“Very good Mr. Longbottom, as usual you are correct,” Professor Sprout interjected as Pansy glared slightly at Neville, “Miss Parkinson, I would hope you start to take Herbology more seriously, hmmm?” 

Pansy, having run out of time to come up with a biting response, narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at Neville before turning the opposite way, nose upturned. 

To her left, Draco was watching their conversation with undisguised amusement, one eyebrow raised. Ari looked at the cast of characters before her and dramatically sighed, feeling both entertained and exhausted at the same time. 

“Class – please follow me this way,” said Professor Sprout, leading them to a far-off corner in the greenhouse, “Today, we will be revisiting Vampiric vegetation. Since some of you,” her glance flicking suspiciously close to Ari, “Did not do well on this last year, and this will be covered on your O.W.L’s.” 

Ari looked over to see a tall, upstanding plant, small white fanged teeth growing off of it in little clusters. She wanted in horror struck fascination as Professor Sprout carefully handled and pruned the plant, managing not to get bitten. Pansy shuddered.

“There are several plants. I would suggest you work in small groups. If there aren’t any other questions, I expect to see these plants in tip-top form by the end of the period.” 

“All right, _Neville_ ,” Pansy said icily, “How would you go about doing this then, hmmm?”

“I would – I would start by grabbing this bit, you see –” Ari watched as Neville deftly snipped at the fangs, the plant getting a more defined and regal appearance. It never attacked him once, and if anything, seemed contented with the changes he was making. 

“How – how did you do that?” Ari asked in astonishment. Even Pansy’s jaw was hanging open. 

“It’s really – er – easy –” 

Ari and Pansy both shook their heads at him. Pansy, attempting to copy him precisely, got one of her gloves slashed open, and Draco ended up having a fang sticking out of his glove. Ari was the closest, managing to only get swiped at twice. 

After very cautiously removing her tenth pair of teeth, Ari asked Neville, “Are there any other weird plants like this that grow…body parts?” 

“Oh yeah,” Neville replied, eyes growing wide, “There’s fanged geranium that – that grows fangs on the ends of its bulbs – you can use them in a lot of potions –”

“Remind me never to pick up those seeds when I’m doing my gardening,” Pansy mumbled, attempting to repair her glove. 

Neville ignored her, still lost in his thoughts, “There’s the cobra lily, which looks like a striking cobra – Mandrakes, which let’s face it are sentient plant people – Venomous tentacula, whose vines look like tentacles, but those aren’t really body parts, are – are they?” 

He chuckled to himself, obviously enjoying the conversation. Ari noticed he was stuttering less as well. 

“No, but still horrifying nonetheless,” Ari said, cringing slightly. _Mandrakes – there’s a gigantic can of worms_. Draco nodded at Ari’s comment, a scowl on his face as he removed another tiny tooth from his very expensive looking gloves. 

_Wait, Neville’s opening up to me –_

_This might be my chance –_

Her eyes glanced around, wondering where Harry was. He was maybe 5-10 feet away, currently extricating his glove from several fang-covered vines. She waited till he seemed unoccupied. Keeping her voice deliberately calm, she added, “I was in the library and I came across this really interesting plant – gillyweed?”

“Oh yes! Fascinating, really,” Neville’s voice was loud enough, she hoped he could hear, “It allows you to breathe underwater and grow gills, I think for over an hour in fresh water.”

Harry didn’t seem to notice, and was now goofing off with Ron, both of them pestering Hermione. _This boy is so oblivious it’s beyond comprehension how he survives_ – 

“That’s mental, how does a plant do that?” Pansy asked, now curious. 

_How do I do this without bashing him over the head…Wait!_

_Hermione –_

“I’m not sure, exactly. Probably like a potion? The transformation is pretty quick too, within minutes.”

Hermione was now going back to her plant, ignoring Ron and Harry. If she could time it just right, Hermione might hear. She tried to add extra emphasis to her words, making them sound more exaggerated and louder, “So, gillyweed really makes you grow webbed feet? And gills? I think it also makes it so you even don’t have to blink, right? Did I read that right?”

Hermione’s hand stopped with her shears. It seemed like she _maybe – just maybe_ – 

“Yes – you also become impermeable to cold. Such a great plant. Native to the Mediterranean, I think.” 

Hermione’s eyes were seized on Ari and Neville. She elbowed Harry and began to furiously whisper to him.

_Yes!_

High fiving herself in her mind, her elation was soon replaced with dread at having to figure out the biggest hurdle, the maze. 

\-----

“I’ve had it with that class. Pruning plants with fangs!” Pansy griped as they were walking back towards the Great Hall, “And gillyweed – yeugh! Who in their right mind would want to become a fish? How did you hear about it, exactly?”

“Oh, you know – just a book I picked up in the library…” 

_It is the truth. I did pick it up in the library_ , she thought, consoling herself for what seemed like the thousandth time she had to hide the truth. 

“At least you’re no longer interested in dragons,” Draco interjected, giving Ari a very pointed look, “I think we can all sleep better at night knowing that.” 

“Hey – dragons are cool, you know? They have a lot of history, and they’re pretty…” 

Draco and Pansy eyed her skeptically, “What! They are! You never know!”

She was searching for an explanation that would make sense when she saw Blaise walking some distance ahead, alone. 

“—Guys, I’ll see you at the Great Hall, I need to talk to Blaise about something –”

Draco’s eyes seized on hers, suddenly tumultuous, “Why would you need to do _that_ , Astoria?” 

_Not this again._

“Draco, get a grip. Astoria’s allowed to talk to people, okay?” 

Draco only scowled in response, eyes still drilling holes into Ari’s. “Draco, just – just trust me, okay?” she asked, softly laying a hand on his arm. _One day I’ll be able to tell you. I really hope that._

Before he could respond, she was off. She caught up to him quickly, weaving her way through the other students. 

“- Blaise –”

“Oh, Astoria – hi.” His voice sounded flat and hollow, as if he was dreading when this would come. 

“I was wondering if we could talk?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light. _Please, let me talk to you._

“Oh yeah, of course, probably for some help with your Charms, right?” he said, laughing, as he simultaneously steered her into an empty classroom. 

His eyes were suddenly very serious, “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“I – I think you know, Blaise.” 

“Do we really have to do this?” he sighed, rubbing his short-cropped hair. He was leaning against a desk, hunched.

“I mean – not if you don’t want to, but I – we never got a chance after the dance, and I just wanted to say that I’m here for you. And if you ever want to talk, please come find me? I’m sorry – I’m probably completely bothering you.” 

She realized how her actions looked. She probably made him feel even more awkward. _Great going, Ari –_

“– I first noticed it around two years ago, okay? He was just so cool, and he has so many friends, and I thought if I could just be friends with him, that would be the end of it. And he was nice to me, even though I was in Slytherin – but the way I thought about him didn’t go away, it kept growing – I’m not supposed to feel this way, I’m not supposed to –” he cut himself off, hazel eyes filled with pain. 

_Oh, Blaise_ – “Blaise, who told you that?” Ari asked, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Told me what?” 

“Told you you’re not supposed to like someone when you do.”

“Oh, I don’t know, everyone?” exasperation tinging his tone. 

“Well, I’m not. I’m telling you it’s fine. More than fine, in fact.”

“Sure, my mum would be thrilled if I brought a man to dinner –” 

“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. Or that everyone will accept you or understand. But there are a lot of people here will. I will. Life’s too short to – to deny who you are.” 

“What about how he feels?”

“You won’t ever know till you ask him, right?” 

Ari saw his cheeks turn a deep color in response, “I know that's an incredibly hard thing to do, but just know that it’s always an option, right? And I know there are a lot of guys who would love to have the chance to be with you.” 

He seemed to be mulling things over. He then looked at her, curiously, before smirking, “So, when are you going to take your own advice?”

“ _What_?”

“You know –”

“Don’t use my own advice against me! Besides, that’s – that’s complicated –”

_So much more complicated than you could ever imagine. Or me, come to think of it. Fuck._

“Sure –” 

“Hey!” she chided, mock glaring at him. 

He pulled her into a hug. “Thanks for getting me to talk about this,” he whispered. 

“Anytime, Blaise,” she said against his shoulder. 

\-----

Ari turned the corner to walk back towards the Great Hall when a strong arm wrapped around her front to the other shoulder, pulling her towards their chest. She knew who it was immediately. “There you are.” Draco’s voice was deep and low. Ari could feel it reverberating through her spine. 

“Are you stalking me now?” she grumbled back. 

“Always.”

“Why would you even admit that?”

“Because you end up in empty classrooms with other men –” 

Ari turned around. She wasn’t sure how this conversation was going to go, but she knew they needed to have it. She squeezed his upper arms, feeling the sinewy muscle beneath, “Draco, you’re going to have to listen to what I have to say without talking back, okay?”

His eyes narrowed but he said nothing. Ari chose to take that as assent, “It is not appropriate for you to keep following me everywhere. You’re going to have to trust me when I tell you to trust me.” 

“But –”

“—No buts, I am not done. I told you there is nothing happening between Blaise and me. We were talking about something private relating to him. I would explain, but it isn’t my place. It has _nothing_ to do with him and I at the Yule Ball, and he does not have feelings for me.” 

Ari saw his mouth open and she quickly interjected, “Furthermore, it is not okay that you keep assuming the worst, or assuming that every man has feelings for me that I will return. Men and women are allowed to be friends and talk to one another. What is not allowed is for you to be constantly jealous about those things. If anyone does ever have feelings for me, I promise I will tell you.”

His eyes were still narrowed, waiting for her to shush him. She resisted rolling her eyes, “Now you may speak.”

“But – but what happens if you faint? Or you get hurt? And I’m – I’m not there –”

“Draco, I was with Blaise, you really think he wouldn’t have done anything?”

“But _I_ wasn’t there –”

“Do you see how that’s a bit possessive?”

“Well – Father and Mother are constantly together, and they seem very happy –”

 _Ah, there it is_. “I don’t doubt that. I’m sure your parents love each very much and I’m happy it works for them. But that is not something I am okay with,” she said softly, “You need to respect my wishes.” 

“But I do respect your wishes. I don’t respect _theirs_ ,” he said, snarling out the last word.

She tried a different tactic. “Draco, can I ask you something?” at this he nodded once, “What do you think happens when I talk to people like Blaise?”

His eyes grew angry. Ari assumed he was seeing a quick montage of things he had imagined. The blue-grey swirl focused back on hers, “That – that they’re trying to take you away – that they’re touching you and you’re –” he blushed, the next words coming out much more faintly, “Touching them back –“. 

_Oh, Draco_. She reached up to cup his cheek, “What if I were to tell you none of that has happened?”

“That doesn’t mean it won’t, though – that doesn’t stop those images every time you – you go up to them –” 

“I know. But you have to try, okay?” She added gently, staring deeply into his eyes, “For me?”

He sighed deeply, looking down at the floor. “Okay.”

“Thank you, Draco.” 

She wrapped her arms around him, trying to reassure him that he was making the right decision. He returned her embrace, his head falling into the hollow of her neck as he held her. After a few moments, he asked, “So, when can I take you to an empty classroom?” 

Seeing her raised eyebrow, he smirked, adding, “What? It’s only fair.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's your friendly neighborhood trash panda ButterMuffins here - stalking, jealousy, and possessive behavior are not okay. I know they can seem cute, and they're often used as tropes a lot in romantic stories (especially with our favorite blond wizard), but that's not something I ever want to condone. The best relationships are ones with mutual trust and enthusiastic consent. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. :D 
> 
> Also, please let me know if any of my magical plant facts are wrong. I was on the Harry Potter wiki so much I probably got some hairs crossed.


	24. The Hex-Deflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's some amount of hexes in this chapter.

“You’re sure you’ll be all right?” Draco asked, looking at her searchingly. 

“Draco, it’s the library.” 

“Exactly –” 

Ari was quickly figuring out that her conversation with him had backfired, and if anything, had made him even more possessive than before. Even the typically unflappable Pansy showed a tinge of annoyance, “Draco, she’ll be with me, all right? Shove off.” 

“Are you sure you can’t –”

“No. We do not want to watch you on your broom. It’s bloody freezing today.” 

“But it will just –”

“ _No_ ,” Ari and Pansy said emphatically at the same time. 

“Fine,” he grumbled. His concerned eyes probed Ari’s as he reached for her hand, “You’re sure?”

“Yes, you’re being ridiculous. Have fun though, okay?” she said, squeezing his hand. 

He smiled at Ari, and bent down, quickly kissing her cheek. A tingly, warm feeling radiated from his touch, corresponding to the growing rosiness in her cheeks. She couldn’t stop the smile that broke out over her face, looking up to find him ducking his head away, a subtle flush creeping up his neck. _Is he trying to be cute? Because it’s working –_

“Before I graduate, please?” Pansy drawled, looking at her nails.

Draco squeezed her hand once more, before walking away with his Firebolt. Once he was out of earshot, Pansy immediately said, “I thought he would never leave. He’s been even more infuriating than usual.”

“I know.” 

They began walking into the library, heading towards their normal quiet corner. 

“Your curse thingy has incredible timing by the way – getting a horrible headache the day after you try to tell him you can be by yourself for more than three minutes.” 

“At least I didn’t faint. And people get headaches all the time. Maybe it was just –” 

“Astoria, no. Normal headaches do not cause their _not boyfriend_ to run to Madam Pomfrey’s to get approximately ten different potions for their _not girlfriend_.” 

“He didn’t have to run,” Ari conceded, grudgingly. 

“Sure –“

“You know, I thought out of everyone, you would be thrilled,” Ari looked at Pansy, narrowing her eyes as she considered, “Did something happen? 

“No,” her voice sounding uncharacteristically clipped and staccato. 

_Oh, something definitely happened_. She laid a hand on Pansy’s arm, “Pans – talk to me.” 

“It’s nothing.” 

“Pansy –” 

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Ari pulled her into the Ancient Runes section, correctly assuming everyone would avoid those bookcases at all costs, “What is it you tell me? You’re my Moaning Myrtle? Well I’m your Mrs. Norris. Time to pay up. It’s something with Fleur, isn’t it?”

“ _Fine_ ,” Pansy sighed before whispering, “She just – she got annoyed at me when I suggested we have dinner in the Great Hall together sometimes. But that’s fine, right?” 

_No, that’s not really fine at all_ – “I’m asking you this seriously – how does that make you feel?” 

“Not the best, but I get it. We both really don’t want others to know. She’s also really busy with the Triwizard tasks, so it’s my fault for being pushy.” 

_Something about this doesn’t feel right_ – “You know, Pans, it’s your life and I know things are very different for you than they are for me. But I do know that I was with you, I’d want to shout it from the rooftops.” 

“Really?” she said, scrunching up her nose slightly in skepticism. 

“Yes, really. That would include wanting to spoon feed you pudding in the middle of the Great Hall.” 

Pansy theatrically rolled her eyes in response, turning to head towards their table. But as they walked together, Pansy had wound her arm around Ari’s elbow, leaning into her. 

\-----

They found that their table was occupied by none other than Cedric Diggory. 

Ari and Pansy looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Cedric must have felt eyes on him, because he looked up from his stacks of books, then slightly blushed, “Oh, sorry – you both probably sit here usually?”

“Yeah, but we can find a new place – ” Ari said, immediately trying to spin around. She found she was stuck in place by Pansy’s arm, who was rooted to the spot. 

“I don’t mind if you want to sit with me,” he said, self-consciously tucking a lock of blond hair behind his ear. 

“You sure?” Ari was still unconvinced. 

“Yeah, I never got the chance to properly thank you for the last time, actually -”

“Oh, no need –” Ari said, turning red from the praise, “You would have –” 

“Your idea was brilliant. Totally saved my hide.” 

_You would have figured it out, I promise_. Ari looked to her side to see Pansy shooting very purposeful glares from them to the table, urging her to move forward. _I get the hint, sheesh._

As they got out their books, Ari surveyed Cedric’s books. Several were on underwater magical creatures and advanced spellcasting, his parchment covered with a jumble of notes. 

“So, you’re working on the next task?” Pansy asked eagerly, before remembering Cedric probably didn’t know who she was, “Sorry, I’m forgetting my manners. I’m Pansy Parkinson, it’s great to meet you.” 

_Fleur didn’t tell Pansy about the challenges_? Cedric brought out his hand to shake hers. Ari visibly noticed Pansy swoon. 

“Great to meet you as well,” he said, smiling good naturedly, before a slight frown tugged at his features, seemingly bringing him back to his current predicament. 

“The next task looks to be - underwater?” Ari added, trying to appear like she had figured it out from his books. 

He chuckled, “Yeah. The lake, I suspect.”

“That sounds awful,” Ari said, as Pansy giggled, “In February, too?”

“I know. I have to keep reminding myself I willingly put my name in the Goblet.” 

“I wonder what it will be like,” Pansy asked, “How long do you think you’ll have to be underwater?”

“I believe an hour,” he responded, fatigue clear in his tone. Pansy gasped. 

“Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a way to breathe underwater? Like what muggles do – I think it’s called – scuba diving?” Ari asked, purposefully fumbling her words.

“What’s that?” Pansy asked.

“I saw it once when we were – on holiday, I think. Muggles can stay for long periods of time underwater through a breathing apparatus, it’s kind of like having a bubble of air around you through a mask or helmet –” 

_Please don’t sound suspicious_. Cedric’s deep grey eyes looked at her for a second, before growing wide. He threw open one of the books, then started frantically scribbling on his parchment before him. 

“I knew you were here for a reason! Every time I see you, you know exactly what to say!”

Ari blushed, “I don’t know about that –” 

“You’re my good luck charm, you are!”

He looked so jubilant, so beautiful, so _alive_ – she felt the anxiety in her chest began to mount. She was typically able to keep it at bay, but seeing him like this –

_You still have time to figure things out, Ari. You can do this_ – 

“Now I even have time to work on my other homework and have dinner in the Great Hall for the first time in a week –” 

Cedric jumped up from the table, “I’ll see you guys later. Astoria, thank you so much again. I’ll have to come find you for the next challenge!”

Once he had gone, Pansy immediately whispered to Ari, her smirk back, “Oh, Draco will _love_ that.” 

\-----

“Hex deflection – what can any of you lot tell me about it?” Moody asked his classroom, glass eye swerving to each student in turn. 

Hermione, of course, raised her hand right away. Ignoring her, both of Moody’s eyes came to rest on Ari’s, filling her with dread.

_Please don’t pick me – please don’t_ – 

“Miss Greengrass, care to enlighten the class as you cannot join us during our practice sessions?”

_Damnit_. Thinking fast, she thought back to what she could remember, “Isn’t it just the act of deflecting hexes, Professor? Like the spell Salvio Hexia? Or using a shield charm like Protego?” 

She knew Moody could tell she hated him. She loathed that she had to call him her teacher, had to listen to him pontificate day in and day out about the evils of things he secretly venerated. His grinned, making his face appear even more grotesque, “Very good Greengrass, you’ll make a fine hypothetical spell caster –” 

Several in the class snickered. Ari could feel an angry flush building on her cheeks but refused to give it more than a fleeting thought. She saw Draco’s hand next to her, clenching into a fist.

“I don’t think it’s very becoming of you to make fun of a student for a health concern, _sir_ ,” Draco said, sneering, “In fact, I would love to see you deflect a hex or two if you _could manage it_.” 

Moody’s eyes rested on Draco’s, filled with mutual disdain, “Want to start us off then, Malfoy?”

“ _With pleasure_.”

She looked at Draco, wide eyed, trying to tell him nonverbally not to do this. _Not this way – you don’t know what he’s truly capable of_ – 

His eyes met hers, blazing with anger and the need for revenge. He shot up; hands strangely still as he picked up his wand. It only added to Ari’s growing unease. She felt her heart begin to thump in her chest, knowing this had been building for months. 

They cleared the area in the center of the classroom free from desks, Draco methodically rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. Everyone was quiet, there was no laughing now. They stood about fifteen feet apart, eyes never leaving the other. Both wands were at the ready – 

“Densaugeo!” Draco yelled, breaking first. His arm flicked the hex toward Moody -

“Salvio Hexia!” Moody shot back, easily repelling it towards the ceiling, “You’re fast Malfoy, but you’re not fast enough – Colloshoo!” 

A stream of light emanated from Moody’s wand towards Draco – 

“Protego!” Draco volleyed back, the hex bouncing off an invisible wall in front of him.

_He can do this, Ari_ – 

“Try to deflect this, Malfoy - Engorgio skullus!” Moody swerved his arm towards Draco with surprising venom, trying to catch him off guard. 

Draco slashed his wand down in front of him, “Salvio Hexia!” 

_Just in time_ –

Ari could tell they were both getting tired, Draco had small bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face. Moody was breathing heavily. _Maybe it’s a détente – Maybe it’s_ – 

“Expelliarmus!” 

Draco’s wand shot from his hand, eyes growing wide in surprise. “You sniveling little weasel – someone needs to teach you a lesson –”

He was striding towards him, metal prosthetic making a clanking noise with every step, his wand outstretched. Draco ducked towards a desk, eyes shining in fear – 

_Please – don’t_ – 

“Expu—”

“ _Professor_!” Ari yelled. 

_It wasn’t just my voice that called out_ – 

Moody stopped, glass eye flashing around in its manmade socket. Ari looked to her left. It was Harry. His stunned green eyes met hers. They had both stepped forward. Hesitantly, she took another step forward. Then another, trying to close the distance between her and Draco. She reached out and grabbed his hand, helping him up to his feet, refusing to let go. 

“Class is dismissed.” Taking a grimacing swig of his flask, Moody limped towards his office without a word or backwards glance. Harry still stood there, motionless, his friends some distance behind.

Looking around, Ari realized Pansy had already left, taking her and Draco’s things with her. She watched as everyone else grabbed their bags, quickly filing out of the classroom. 

\-----

For the second time that year, Ari pulled Draco into the first dark alcove she could find. _I have to make sure you’re safe – I have to –_

“Are you – are you okay?” she asked, eyes huge in the semi-darkness, “He didn’t – he didn’t hurt you, did he?” 

“I’m all right,” he said softly. 

“Are you – you are sure?” she asked, blindly grabbing at his arms to check for pain. Her hands moved up his shoulders and neck, cupping his face. 

She looked into his eyes. She found a hurricane. “Oh – Draco –”

Before either of them had fully registered what was happening, their lips had collided. She felt his anger and hurt wash over her like a wave, threatening to overtake them both. His hands wound their way through her hair, tipping her head back, intensity slowly giving way to tenderness and desire. She shyly overtook his mouth with her tongue, smiling into his lips at his groan of surprise. 

After a few moments, they pulled apart, both taking shallow gulps of air as they held each other. “Did that help?” she teased, loving the way the curve of his grin felt against her neck. 

“Immensely,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss at the corner of her jaw, “When can we do it again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays!! If you don't celebrate, I hope you have a great Thursday. <3 
> 
> My understanding of jinxes/hexes/curses is janky at best, so my apologies if that duel was awkward af.


	25. The Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lake is beautiful in February, wouldn't you say?

The morning of the second task dawned bright and clear. The light from the windows of the common room shown a beautiful effervescent green, the water softly lapping against the panes of glass. Ari walked downstairs to find Pansy in one of the window seats, pensively staring into the murky water.

“You ready for this?” Ari asked Pansy watchfully.

“Why would I not be?” her voice hard and cynical, “It’s not like someone I care about could be attacked by merpeople and die today.”

“Did she talk to you about it at all?”

“A little – all she said is that they’re taking something she’ll ‘miss’ and that she needs to retrieve it. Merlin knows what that means.”

“I think she’ll be all right,” Ari replied softly.

“Yes, because the adults at Hogwarts have proven time and time again that they’re capable of handling anything that happens here,” sarcasm dripping from every word. She sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair, “Sorry Astoria, I don’t mean to take it out on you.”

Ari grinned, “You’re fine, Pans. I get it. We’ll sit together, make fun of Viktor Krum. It’ll be fun, I promise.”

“ _You’ll_ make fun of Viktor Krum. I’ll wish I was his –”

“ – Please don’t finish that thought.”

“What thought?”

Ari jumped, Draco’s warm breath tickling her ear. He had somehow snuck up to within a few inches behind her without her noticing. “Something about Viktor Krum. And you,” she said, spinning around to face him, “are-not-allowed-to-do-that!” spiritedly hitting his shoulders between each word.

His large palms easily encircled her balled fists, much to Ari’s chagrin. “But it’s so much fun to scare you –” he taunted.

She glared up at his grinning face, finding his blue-grey eyes filled with mischief. They slowly flicked down, starting to glow. His thumbs rubbed her fists in small circular motions. He licked his lips, parting them slightly, Ari realized her mouth was mimicking his actions – 

“This is getting to be too much, even for me,” Pansy called out from the window, “You know there are beds upstairs, right?”

Ari blushed, forcing herself to break apart from the leaden pull of his eyes. “It’s his fault, anyways,” she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

“Hmm? I couldn’t quite catch that, Astoria,” he chided, “Could you, Pansy?”

“Not at all,” Pansy immediately agreed.

“You’ll have to speak up –”

“You two! I – I – Ugh!” not able to come up with a retort, she stalked out of the common room, ignoring their snickers.

\-----

The stands to view the second task stood precariously on the shore overlooking the lake below. The lake’s surface rippled in the breeze, belying the February chill rose up from the lake and surrounded them. Daphne had joined them on the walk from the Great Hall and was looking around animatedly.

“I wonder what they’re going to do for this one?”

“I think retrieve something,” Pansy said, smiling at her.

“In the lake? In February? Won’t they freeze?”

Ari lost the thread of the conversation, getting caught up in the excited hum of everyone’s voices as they found their way to the stands. Looking around, she saw that Blaise was walking towards the staircase alone. _He should sit with us – oh wait – Draco –_

Wrapping her arm in the crook of his elbow, she pulled him closer to her. “Draco?” she implored, trying to look innocent. 

His eyes narrowed immediately, knowing something was afoot, “What do you want?”

 _Dang, he saw right through me._ “I’m going to invite Blaise to sit with us, okay?

His mouth became a thin line, narrow eyes glued to her face, “Why would you want to do a thing like that?”

“Look at him, he’s all alone – it’ll be fun! I promise. You’ll be okay with it, _right_?” tone imploring him to _be good._

“Fine. But I expect something in return,” his eyes had a strange gleam to them. Ari found it extremely concerning.

“And that would be?”

“It’s a secret.”

“I don’t make deals for things I don’t know the terms to.”

“Well, then I don’t agree to _behave_.”

“Were all those stories about your exceptional upbringing and manners a lie?”

“Not all –”

“Sure –”

His head pulled low, close to her ear, “Just _some_ –”

She ducked from his head, feeling a blush blooming over her cheeks. “ _Fine_. I give up. You’re a complete menace.”

He grinned triumphantly. “Blaise, mate!” he called out, the image of affability, “Come sit with us!”

Ari had to tamp down her urge to punch him.

\-----

Ari found herself sandwiched between Pansy and Draco, Blaise on Draco’s other side. _Of course, Draco would make sure of that_ , she thought, rolling her eyes.

Still, she was thrilled to be there. This challenge left her feeling more excited than nervous. Unlike the previous task, she couldn’t see what would be happening, and she also knew they were far safer in the water than dealing with fire-breathing monsters of yore. It left her feeling freer to enjoy herself with her friends, and she was perfectly happy to listen to their chatter.

She could see the champions gathered near the judging table on an adjacent shore, talking amongst themselves and with the other judges. She squinted, trying to see if Harry was there –

 _There he is! He wasn’t late! Hopefully he got some sleep this time._ Feeling a small sense of accomplishment, she focused in on Fleur. Dressed in her typical blue robes, she somehow looked flawless, even while obviously arguing with Harry about something.

“Wonder what that’s about?” Ari said to Pansy, pointing in Fleur’s direction.

Pansy shrugged, “Who knows? She does spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about Potter, I must say. When we are – you know, talking,” she grinned.

“There is the concept of too much information, you know.”

“Oh yeah, and you and Draco just spend all that time studying –”

“I heard my name – what?” Draco said, interjecting.

“As usual, you really don’t want to know,” Ari said, shooting glares at Pansy.

Pansy smirked at Draco, “I was just commenting on how much time I’ve noticed you two _studying_ recently.”

Draco coughed in surprise, then snuck a pleased glance at Ari, “Yes, at such _late_ hours too.”

Ari glared at both sides of her, feeling surrounded. She gazed pleadingly around Draco’s front, “Blaise! A little help here!”

Blaise laughed, “I am not refereeing between you, Pansy, and Draco –” 

Ari pouted, “Some friend you are –”

“Shh,” Draco said, eyes dancing, “Looks like something is happening finally –”

Ari looked over to see Ludo Bagman pointing his wand toward his face, voice booming, “Our champions have one hour to reclaim something very special that has been taken from them. On my whistle, one…two…three!” As his whistle blew, all at once everyone was on their feet, shouting and clapping for their favorite contender. A large countdown clock behind the table began to flash.

The four students started removing their robes and shoes, Fleur revealing a simple and elegant blue swimsuit, the same color of her robes. Pansy looked thunderstruck for a second before shaking her head slightly, Ari could swear she heard her whisper “Merlin” as several other students loudly praised her beauty. More loudly, she scoffed, “Amateurs.”

Ari arched an eyebrow at her but said nothing. She ran into the water a few feet then gracefully dove into the lake’s depths, wand in one hand. Viktor was wearing a red unitard of sorts, the strong shape of his shoulders clearly visible. He walked purposefully into the water, paying no mind to the freezing temperatures. When he was about shoulder deep, he pointed his wand towards himself, and transformed into a gigantic shark head, supported by burly shoulders. The effect was even more jarring than Ari had envisioned, he looked like a bizarre mascot for a sports team that sportscasters would bring up as their final tv segment. It was also _hilarious_.

“Well that just – speaks for itself, wouldn’t you say?” Ari said, trying not to laugh.

She heard Draco make a dissenting noise, but everyone’s attention was still glued to Cedric and Harry. Cedric was wading into the water, muscular shoulders and back slowly disappearing into the murky depths. “Merlin, I’d like to see that close up,” Pansy wantonly professed, causing Blaise to bust up laughing.

Ari and Daphne sighed in agreement, watching him disappear, “Cho’s one lucky girl.”

Draco looked down towards his hands, trying his hardest not to appear jealous. It was oddly endearing. Coming up with an idea that was too good to ignore, she cupped her hand around her mouth and whispered, “I’d like to see you shirtless too.”

His eyes shot up towards hers, two high points of color on his cheeks. Ari couldn’t control the victorious grin that broke out over her face.

“ _Got you_.”

“You – you are joking, aren’t you?”

Ari only flicked her eyes downwards towards his torso and back towards his face, watching in delight as his eyes dilated, flush becoming even more pronounced. He swiveled his head towards the lake, refusing to meet her gaze. _Finally beat you at your own game –_

His eyes trained on Harry, whose pale, slim figure was standing stock-still waist deep in the water. “Oh look, has Potter given up?” he asked loudly, earning jeers from some other students sitting near them.

_Did his voice crack slightly? He’s still thinking about what I said, isn’t he?_

She pushed that glee-filled thought away for the time being, focusing on Harry. The water around him was vibrating, hinting at how badly he was shaking in the chilly, murky shallows. He was waiting. _Come on, gillyweed –_

He abruptly brought his hands to his neck and face, as if choking violently, though no sounds came out. “Can’t take it, can you, Potter?” Draco continued taunting, now getting into it. Harry belly-flopped into the water, several around her laughing even harder. She ignored it. When he didn’t surface instantly, the voices around her grew, “Maybe he drowned in embarrassment –” 

Just then, Harry shot out of the water, effortlessly making a perfect arc before diving back down. His triumph was evident.

“How the fuck –”

“Gillyweed!” Pansy shouted, comprehension dawning on her face, “Astoria! It was gillyweed!”

“Yes! Yes, it was!” she exclaimed, finding she did not have to pretend to look excited.

“That stupid plant you lot were discussing in Herbology?” Draco asked, confused.

“Yes! Who knew it would actually be useful!”

The countdown clock continued its backwards progression towards zero. Many in the stands started talking amongst themselves, some even brought out newspapers to read. At the judge’s table, all of them were in a deep discussion, barely paying attention to the lake in front of them.

“Well, here’s to sitting around, I guess,” Pansy said, her knee bouncing up and down of its own accord. 

“I know,” Draco said, scowling slightly, “How boring. Who designed this challenge, anyways? It’s not like we can see anything –”

Ari interrupted him, sliding her arm around Pansy, “It’s going to be fine. She is going to be fine,” she whispered to her. 

“How do you know?” she asked, voice small and vulnerable.

“I mean, I don’t really, but I think things are going to be okay. At least one thing did come true. Viktor did look ridiculous out there,” Ari said, grinning.

“He really did, didn’t he,” Pansy agreed, chuckling to herself.

“Give the man a break,” Draco said, scoffing, “A transfiguration spell of that caliber is incredibly difficult to do. First off, he was in the lake, which must be freezing, _and_ he is still able to breathe underwater, _and_ now he can protect himself, _and_ scare the merpeople and grindylows, _and_ –” he stopped for a breath, causing Ari to laugh.

“ _And_?” she asked, prompting him.

He only glared at her.

“You don’t have anything else, do you?”

“I feel what I said more than sufficed,” he replied testily.

Pansy, Ari and Daphne broke out into a fit of giggles. Draco blushed, muttering, “Some friends I have –”

“Now you see how I feel all the time!” Ari interjected.

“Nuh-uh, the three of you together are like sirens, calling me to my death –”

“Absolutely not –”

Pansy rolled her eyes, “Daphne! Please save me from these two. Tell me something interesting about you.”

“Uhhh – Uhhh –” Daphne’s eyes grew wide, trying to come up with something.

“I know! Do you have a crush on anyone?” Ari couldn’t see Pansy’s face but knew her eyes were blazing at the potential possibilities.

“Daph, you do not have to answer that –”

Daphne blushed, “Actually, there is someone –”

“ _What_?”

Pansy, Daphne, and Ari immediately turned towards each other, forming a small semicircle.

“Who is it?” Pansy immediately asked.

Ari quickly added, “Daph, Pansy won’t let you live it down –”

“Nonsense. I only do that to you because of _who_ you like.”

“Great, thanks,” Ari said flatly, “You’re such a great friend.”

“I know,” Pansy said, massive grin on her face, before she turned back to Daphne, “ _Back to the subject_ _at hand –_ Daphne, you were saying?”

“I – I – it’s Justin Finch-Fletchley,” she said, blushing heavily.

Ari and Pansy groaned simultaneously. “Really? That guy?”

Daphne blushed harder, “He’s just – he’s really nice – to – me –“ she eked out, before gathering some composure, “He helped me pick up my books one time – when I tripped. And we sometimes do our homework together –”

“Well that makes one of us,” Ari mumbled. Her mind jumped back to two weeks prior when he had loudly chastised her in Transfiguration for her beetle buttons not having their buttonholes, instead turning into “black lumps of plastic” as he called it.

 _They move really fast, okay! It’s not like it’s easy to do –_ shaking herself out of her memory, she concentrated on Daphne. _Well if she likes him, who am I to judge?_

“But he’s – you know, _muggleborn_ ,” Pansy said, staring at her hands.

Ari sighed inwardly. “Why does that stuff matter?” she asked, more to herself. She saw Daphne nodding slightly, which buoyed her spirits. 

“You know why it matters, Astoria.”

She chose not to respond to Pansy, turning back to Daphne, “Are you sure, though, Daph? I mean, you could have your pick of guys at this school –”

“No –”

“Yes –” Ari and Pansy said at once.

“Trust us on this. We can bring in Draco if you want a male opinion, I’m sure he’d agree with us –” Pansy said.

Daphne only blushed harder.

A blond head joined their semicircle, followed quickly by Blaise. “I heard my name again –”

“Do you have supersonic hearing?”

“When I’m being mentioned – yes. What are you guys talking about?”

“Is it okay if we tell them?” Pansy asked.

 _Thank you for asking for permission for my sister_ , Ari thought to herself. _Oh, I called her my sister –_

Daphne gave a small, brief nod, beet red now.

“Do you think that Daphne could have her pick of the boys at our school?”

Draco’s eyes narrowed, apparently wondering if this was somehow a trick. Blaise was waiting for Draco’s lead.

“Errrr –”

“I like a boy –” Daphne blurted out, “But they don’t like him and they’re trying to convince me I can do better –”

“Oh – well wait, who is he?” Draco asked.

 _You’re not going to like it either, Draco. At all._ “Justin Finch –”

“ –Him!? Well, of course you could do better, Daphne. You’re a lovely person, why not Nott’s younger brother, isn’t he in your year – ”

“He’s _awful_ ,” Pansy interjected, sneering, “As is his brother.”

“At least he’s not a mud—“ seeing Ari’s eyes begin to constrict in anger, he managed to stop himself, “—A muggleborn –”

Blaise spoke up quietly now, “What do _you_ think, Daphne?”

“– I – I think he’s nice. And easy to talk to. And –” her cheeks renewed their crimson hue, “– Good looking – ”

“Well, there you have it,” Blaise said, finality to his voice.

“Yeah, I don’t think we can argue much with that,” Ari said, giving a supportive smile to Daphne. She shyly returned it.

“Yes, we can,” Draco said, with Pansy sagely nodding along, “He’s annoying, and his last name is ‘Finch-Fletchley’. I mean, who has two last names?” his face was contorted in slight disgust.

“Plenty of people –”

“If you’re a muggle –” Draco interrupted. 

“That’s exactly what he is, or well, was. Do you even know what it represents?”

“That muggles love tormenting their children by giving them two last names?” his tone turning haughty and superior.

“No,” she gave herself a calming breath, so she didn’t launch at him, “It’s a combination of the last name of both married partners. It’s so the woman – or whoever really – doesn’t lose their own last name when they get married. It can be passed down to their children too, if they wish it.”

“That’s –“, Draco paused for dramatic emphasis, “Completely ridiculous.”

Daphne, meanwhile, had a small smile on her face, “I think that’s rather sweet, actually.”

 _Oh, she’s got it bad –_ Their discussion was interrupted by a clamor of voices. Someone was surfacing, heralded by the large bubbles that had now appeared.

_Is it –_

They gasped for air as they came to the top of the water, desperately trying to bring oxygen into their lungs –

_Fleur._

No longer poised, she was scrambling up the shore towards the judges table, hysterically taking in gigantic gulps of air. Ari couldn’t tell if she was sobbing or hyperventilating. Her bathing suit was ripped in several places, scratches were covering her arms and legs. Pansy looked as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Her hands balled up her cloak, concern and distress filling her small face. Ari gently grabbed her fist in response and straightened out her fingers, interlacing them with hers.

“She – she – she –”

“Pans, look at me,” Ari said earnestly, “She’s okay. She’s out of the water.”

“But – look at her –”

“I know, love. I bet she wants to be in the prefect’s bath more than anyone right now,” earning a weak smile from Pansy, Ari continued, “But trust me on this, she’s _going to be okay._ You’ll get to be with her soon, too. It’ll be all right.”

“You – you sure?”

“Yes.”

Daphne, at Pansy’s other’s side, seeing her consternation, tentatively wrapped her forearm around Pansy’s elbow, attempting to give her extra support. The three of them scooted closer together. Dumbledore and Madame Maxine were standing up now, meeting her at the judge’s table, Madame Maxime wrapping the fluffiest towel Ari had ever seen around her. Fleur gesticulated wildly, alternating in and out of French. 

Draco placed a hand on Ari’s knee, before bending down to speak into her ear, “I can hear a little bit of what she’s saying. I think she was attacked by grindylows. But she’s saying something about her sister?”

“You really have excellent hearing, you know that? Also, thank you.”

He smirked, “It is useful in certain situations. Also, you’re welcome. Hope Pansy is going to be all right.”

“I think she will. Also, I’ll be sure to always say terrible things about you far out of earshot –”

He squeezed her knee suddenly, eyes delighting in her strangled yelp of surprise.

There was another upwelling of noise. A second mass of bubbles could be seen in the center of lake, this one far larger than Fleur’s. A head popped up, immediately followed by another. The crowd immediately erupted in loud and raucous cheering,

“It’s – Diggory – and – Cho Chang?!” Blaise asked incredulously, “What is she doing there?!”

“That must be what they were retrieving from the lake –”

Draco and Ari looked at each other at the same time, “Fleur’s sister –”

The noise was at a fever pitch, with everyone in the stands trying to figure out who else was at the bottom of the lake. It was quickly uncovered out of all the students, that both Hermione and Ron had been missing since last night.

“I wonder why they picked Granger for Krum, you would think he has friends at Durmstrang, right?” Ari said to Pansy, considering.

“Maybe they don’t allow friendships up in the frozen tundra –”

A shark head swiftly dove out of the water, with Hermione in its human hands. She audibly gasped for air, as if coming back to life. The applause and cheering were immense as he swam her to the shallows, before transforming back to his humanoid form.

Draco loudly drawled out, “That only leaves Potter, did he stop and have tea with the merpeople?” softer, he added for Ari, “What happens to Fleur’s sister now? Do they have to go get her after the challenge?”

He motioned down to Fleur who was frantically pointing at the water and arguing with the judges. Ari shrugged, “Probably? I hope she’s safe – ”

_Come on Harry – you can make it –_

A small stream of bubbles broke on the lake’s choppy surface, steadily becoming bigger. Then they suddenly stopped. There was a raucous commotion as each student stood up, peering over the stands, trying to figure out what was going on. Two bodies floated to the surface.

“Are they dead?!” Pansy cried out.

“No – no, look! It’s Weasley and –“

“- _Gabrielle_!,” Fleur cried from the shore below, “My sister! Is she ‘urt?!”

Pansy’s hand dug into Ari’s with such force she winced. “Wait – where’s Potter –” Draco asked, scanning the water.

“There!” Ari yelled, seeing a third head pop up, “ _They’re okay_!”

The noise was overwhelming. Everyone was screaming, hollering and cheering as Harry exhaustedly drug himself toward the shore. Fleur, dodging Madam Maxime, had dashed into the water, crushing her sister to her in a bruising hug as they met in the shallows. She held her small face in her heads, repeating something in a mixture of French and English. Ari glanced at Pansy, who was watching Fleur, completely transfixed. She gave her hand an encouraging squeeze and smiled, pleased to see Pansy return them.

Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman were hauling Harry up the shore, both of their robes wet up to the knees. Harry looked as though he might have lost the strength to stand. He was dragged to the judge’s table where Madam Pomfrey unceremoniously forced him to choke down a potion. Hermione and Ron had surrounded him in a huge three-person hug, loudly congratulating him. Fleur walked up to him, soundly kissing him on both cheeks.

_That only leaves the third challenge –_

_Oh fuck, how am I going to pull this off –_

“Never a dull moment at this school, is there?” Draco dryly whispered to Ari, smirking.

She had to agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new ship appears in the night... :D
> 
> I must say, I think when these challenges were being designed they definitely were from the perspective of the people in them, not the spectators. It boggles my mind that Dumbledore had to talk to the merperson king to know what happened. 
> 
> Hope you guys liked this little present to you! I'll have the next chapter out tomorrow, and three chapters out next week.


	26. The Shrieking Shack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is pure, pure fluff.

Pansy disappeared that evening after dinner, Ari had a preternatural sense it had something to do with the Fleur and the prefect’s bath. _How does she even know the password?_ Banishing that mental image from her mind, she instead tried to focus on memorizing the recipe for Pepper-Up Potion.

Her mind kept wandering back to the third task, and specifically how woefully unprepared she was for it. She pulled out the journal Draco had gotten for her, still awed when her previous notes appeared once she tapped the page three times. _Okay, Ari, think –_

The simplest thing to do would be to remove the portkey entirely. Moody, or as she now preferred to think of him, _Evil Fuckface,_ only turned the Triwizard Cup into the portkey when he placed it in the maze, so trying to take it before then wouldn’t work. _But that would mean going into the maze. Could I even do something like that?_

Ari had found herself to be a competent spellcaster, but she did not have the defensive capabilities of someone like Harry or Draco. Would her body even survive an ordeal like that?

_How would I even avoid EF and the other champions?_

A thought came to her. _The Marauder’s Map. But that would be impossible._ She knew _EF_ had already manipulated Harry into giving it to him and was most likely looking at it at this exact moment, trying to plot his next move. She desperately wished she could take it from him, but knew his office was most likely better protected than Fort Knox. Also, she understood trying to attempt something like that would be cataclysmically stupid.

 _Wait – Harry dad’s and his friends made the Marauder’s Map while they were at Hogwarts, right?_ They had used a homonculous charm on the map they had plotted. While it had taken them several years, Ari wondered if that included the time it took them to meticulously chart out Hogwarts’ sprawling grounds. She wouldn’t need a map of Hogwarts, just the quidditch area where the maze would be.

_Could I –_

“Someone looks deep in thought,” Ari glanced up to find blue-grey eyes observing her from a nearby chair.

She blushed, shutting her journal, “How long have you been staring at me?”

“Long enough to know you are no longer working on potions homework. Do you want me to clue me in or should I guess?”

“That’s somewhat creepy, you know,” she said, glowering at his curious face, “It’s – nothing. Just, thinking about – that family history your parents found.”

_Hopefully he finds that believable. Oh, I hate lying –_

He frowned slightly, “Hey, there’s something that’s been bothering about me about that. Did it seem to you like it had been purposefully destroyed?”

“Yeah –” she thought back to the way the scorch started at a very particular point, “As if –"

“– They didn’t want others to find out what had happened.”

Ari smiled at him, “You’re getting far too good at finishing my sentences, you know that?” He grinned, before moving to the couch where she was sitting. She continued, “You had never heard of him, right?”

“Endymion? No, that charming _gent_ never came up in Mother’s lessons on family history.”

“Were family histories a core part of the Malfoy family curriculum?” she asked, an undercurrent of seriousness to her question.

“Very funny – you weren’t stuck memorizing useless information in case some great-aunt came to dinner –” he grumbled, a scowl forming on his features.

 _You look so much better when you smile._ Before she could stop herself, she turned her body to face him, and softly brought up her hand to his chin, brushing her thumb over his lips. His eyes blazed in the light of the fire, filled with questions.

Ari smiled self-consciously, “Sorry. I just – I didn’t want you to frown like that, that’s all. I actually want to know, if you want to tell me.”

She pulled her hand away, but he intercepted it, pulling it back towards his chest. Her face was dangerously close to his.

“You drive me mad; you know that?” he whispered roughly, before his lips took hers.

_Oh –_

_God, why is he so good at this –_

She felt herself melt into it, into _him_. Because of how he pulled her, she found herself leaning over him, one hand on the cushion behind him to support her weight. He seemed to relish the change in position, as she tilted her head down, pushing herself towards him. His hands, which were wrapped up in her hair, made their way down her spine, landing at her hips. They helped guide her forward as her body moved of its own accord, closer to him, till she was almost straddling him –

_On a couch in the Slytherin common room –_

The thought sent her plummeting back to earth. She pulled back with a start. _Thank god we’re alone_. He opened his eyes abruptly; they had become so dilated there was almost no color that surrounded them –

“We can’t – not _here_ –” she said, panting between words. The sound made her mentally cringe.

He groaned. His hands were still on her hips, an intensely frustrated expression on his face. It made Ari laugh, “Imagine if Pansy were to see us like that, we would never live it down –”

His voice became slightly hopeful, “You know she’s doing the same thing. We can always go up –”

“ _No_ , Draco,” she added in a softer tone, “You know I’m right about this.”

He rubbed his eyes and face harshly, “I know. Just – just give me a moment, okay?”

She only laughed harder.

\-----

Ari could see the first hints of spring starting to hit Hogwarts. The wind chill was beginning to abate, replaced instead by a steady rain that fell over the grounds, creating an ethereal mist that rose from the lake to surround the castle. The hillsides which rose above the castle were becoming a vibrant emerald green, soon to be speckled with the multicolored hue of wildflowers. It was beautiful and otherworldly, making her once again wonder how all of this existed, how _she_ could be witnessing the change of the seasons.

She didn’t feel worthy.

She also was continually astonished by her relationships with Draco and Pansy. Even though she had never believed in destiny before, she couldn’t help but wonder if something was larger at play, pulling invisible strings that brought the three of them together. She never had many close friendships growing up, often preferring being on her own or having a casual group of friends she would sometimes hang out with. Pansy transcended all of that, soothing Ari’s hardest days with her combination of intense caring and sarcastic wit. And Draco – Draco was an electric shock to her bones, jolting her with every glance and action he took. They shouldn’t have as much chemistry as they did. It shouldn’t feel so right to be with him.

She wasn't fully sure why she was here, but she felt it was to save Harry and Cedric. Maybe, she was even here to save Astoria’s body, too. She was not here to fall in love.

_Right?_

\-----

The rain started on the way back from Hagrid’s hut, quickly turning from a drizzle into a downpour. The three of them sprinted from shelter to shelter, laughing, completely drenched by the way they made it up the hill to one of the castle’s entrances.

“Merlin!” Pansy cried out, quickly drying herself with the hot air charm, before helping Ari and Draco. Several students had also run inside to seek protection from the rainstorm. The entryway was crowded with small groups drying their clothes and bags, stone floor stamped with wet boot prints.

“Thank you for that, I must look a fright –”

“You’re fine,” Pansy said, smirking, “This one, though,” she said, pointing at Draco with her wand, “I never knew your hair was _that_ curly –”

Draco put one horrified hand up to his hair, gingerly feeling around.

“She’s lying, you look fine,” Ari said, openly eying the top of his head. Previously perfectly parted, it was now a riotous mass of tousled waves that softly fell onto his forehead. It looked more than fine. It looked _delicious_. Ari desperately wanted to rake her fingers through it –

_Tone it down._

Pansy’s eyes shot a knowing glance at Ari, “Draco, you should let your hair do that more often –”

“So, you can make fun of me?” he quipped back, now trying to part it to one side. It stubbornly resisted his efforts, causing some his hair to curl up and away from his temples. He somehow made it look even better –

_Ari. Stop. Drooling._

“You might just be surprised by _who_ likes it –”

Ari’s eyes shot to the left to pierce daggers into Pansy’s. Her eyes met hers immediately with a delighted gleam. _Am I that obvious?_

A voice came to her, quite unbidden – _Yes, yes, you are._

Draco eyebrows furrowed, trying to figure out what she was getting at. His gaze traced from Pansy to Ari, regarding her glare and flushed cheeks. His confusion turned into a smirk, “ _Oh_ , well, right then.”

 _Goddamnit Pansy, one of these days I am going to murder you in your sleep._ Ari cleared her throat, attempting to think of anything to change the subject, “ _Anyways_ , that unicorn foal was adorable today –”

“I know!” Pansy immediately squealed, “Did you see its little golden hooves and ears?! And the way it pranced around – ”

“Yes, Pansy, we saw,” Draco said in a dull monotone.

“Don’t lie. You were as besotted as Astoria and me –”

“I was not –”

“And the way you stood in line to feed it first was sheer coincidence –”

Draco was refusing to meet Pansy’s triumphant look, eyes staying glued to his feet. Ari giggled, knowing Pansy had him completely cornered. “It’s okay to admit things are cute, you know?” she said, elbowing him good-naturedly, “Neither of us would think less of you for it.”

He blushed, hand reaching up to his curly hair, “The word ‘cute’ does not really come up in the Malfoy dictionary –“

“Well, maybe it’s high time it should?” she sneaked a glance towards him, smile turning into a grin, “Also, because it’s you, I can’t tell if you’re joking. Do you have a family vocabulary of approved phrases? Do you have to go through a process of adding new ones in, where it’s adopted by the whole household through a vote –”

“Oh, that’s _it_ –” he said, reaching towards her –

Ari was too fast for him, letting out a peal of elated laughter as she bounded away, purposefully avoiding Pansy’s bemused expression. She easily weaved through other students, trying to zig-zag away from him. She was just at the top of the steps leading down to the dungeons when strong pair of hands wrapped around her waist, crushing her into him –

Ari yelped in indignation, trying to jump down the spiraling stairs, away from his grasp –

“You can’t escape now –” Draco whispered, attempting to sound evil and failing miserably. It made Ari laugh.

He tried again, “Plus, I believe we have a previous _agreement_ –”

“So, I finally get to know what you want?”

Her heart skipped a beat, not sure what was going to come out of his mouth. She couldn’t see his face. _If it involved going up–_

“Come with me this weekend?” he asked, a slight nervous lilt to his words, “– Just the two of us –” he continued, voice dropping to a small whisper.

 _Oh._ She felt her cheeks radiate heat in the darkness, “Draco, are you asking me on a date?”

“– _Maybe_ – “

She could tell he was simultaneously embarrassed and annoyed at her question.

“That – I think that would be – _nice_ – “she responded, her own voice becoming a wisp, before she couldn’t resist the chance to tease him, “Plus, I’m not really in a position to say no –”

He laughed, the stairwell ringing with the musical sound.

Secretly, she was _thrilled._

\----

Ari observed herself in the mirror, contemplating. “If you’re wondering if you should try a bit harder than usual, the answer is yes,” came Pansy’s voice from their dorm, before joining her in the bathroom.

“I don’t even know what we’re doing today. I have a hunch it’s Hogsmeade, but who knows when it comes to him,” Ari said, before turning to face Pansy, eyes narrowing, “Wait – you know, don’t you!”

Pansy grinned, “I was sworn to secrecy.”

“The two of you – I swear,” Ari said, before grabbing a mascara tube from the bathroom counter, “Also, you haven’t told me what you’re up to today.”

“Oh, you know, this and that,” Pansy said in a bored tone, “Actually, I’ll be meeting Fleur later. I’m supposed to take her to the Three Broomsticks. Apparently, she’s never had butterbeer. Can you imagine?”

 _Yes, I very much can._ Out loud, she murmured, “Probably not fancy enough for the likes of her –” seeing Pansy’s darkening face, she quickly added, “I’m sure she will love it with you there, though! Wait, does that mean you’re going on a date?”

Pansy’s cheeks became a rosy pink color, “—No! I’m just – showing her around.”

Daphne wandered in, sporting a massive cowlick, “Good morning,” she yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, “Why are you up so early?”

“I’ve got something with Draco. And Pansy is showing _a friend_ around Hogsmeade this afternoon.”

“So, you’re both going on dates?”

Ari smirked at Daphne, who returned it with a slight grin.

“Shush!” Pansy squawked, before jumping into the shower.

\-----

She made it downstairs before Draco, savoring a moment to herself to watch the light filter through the water. Today, it was a kaleidoscope of light blues and greens, illuminating every corner of the common room. She didn’t have to wait long, catching a glimpse of silvery blond hair at the top of the stairs.

_Purposefully undone, perfectly wavy, blond hair –_

_Shit –_

Their eyes found each other’s immediately, Draco grinned sheepishly. “Hey – sorry, I was trying to –“, the next part coming out much softer, “–Get my hair right –”

“I really like it,” she responded, unconsciously mimicking his pitch.

“I can’t see why, I’ve always hated it...”

“How?! It’s perfect for you,” she shot him a mischievous look, “Totally balances out that pointy chin you have –”

“Hey!”

His eyes were sparkling, the same color as the light that formed a halo around him. “I’m joking. You know it, too. You – you look great, Draco –” she said, consciously attempting not to blush. It wasn’t working.

“You – you too –”

They both were blushing now, not quite meeting each other’s gazes. It felt ridiculous and absurd. _You see him every day, stop acting like a complete idiot –_

They both opened their mouths at the same time, grinning and stopping when they saw the other. Ari blurted out, “So wait – where exactly are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

His smile had a devilish glint to it, making her second guess why she hadn’t put up more of a fight.

\----

She found herself on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, staring at one of the scariest buildings she had ever laid eyes on. It appeared to be precariously placed on the edge of a hill, supported by long beams skewered into the valley below. About three stories tall, it was a dark, sooty black color that stood out against the green hills, with long, boarded up windows. Logically, she knew it was probably wasn’t haunted. Lupin even lived there for a time.

 _But for fuck’s sake, just look at it._ Terrible things had happened there, of that much she was sure.

Pure, unadulterated glee was coming off Draco in waves, as he watched her undisguised dread. “I knew it. I knew you would take me here,” she said flatly, glaring at him in open disdain, “You’ve had your fun. Now, can we go?”

“What, you don’t want to go inside –”

“How dare you even suggest that!”

“It’ll be fun, come on –” he said, grabbing her hand. She dug her heels in the ground, trying to become a dead weight. Instead, he forcibly pulled her forward. Two long drag marks from her shoes were clearly visible, making it look like a body was being lugged into the shack, adding to the overall macabre ambience. She wondered when the other students came by, what horrors they would envision.

She surreptitiously looked around from her semi-prostrate position, wondering if she had the right moment –

“Don’t think about running away, I’ll only catch you.”

 _Damn it._ “And if I start screaming?”

“No one’s around quite yet. They might even think it’s coming from the shack.”

“You’ve thought this through,” she uttered, wracking her brain for different possible escape routes.

He grinned down at her, “Of course.”

Her dragging came to an end. She tilted her head up, seeing a dark boarded-up window. She almost thought she saw a pair of eyes through the slats –

_Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope –_

Now completely upright, she instantly spun around to walk away, however she was held in place by a human-shaped tree, “Why are you doing this? Do you delight in my misery? Also, why do you suddenly weigh so much?”

“Less questions, Astoria. More walking. It won’t be _that_ bad.” His words were contradicted by his predatory grin.

“You wanna bet?”

He led her up the steps to the door, keeping a sure grip on her. He turned the doorknob, Ari coming to the realization that it was very easy to enter. _This seems awfully suspicious –_

He opened up the rickety door with a flourish, “Ladies first –”

Her eyes adjusted to the gloom far too quickly for her liking. The inside was curiously bare, with only a small pile of destroyed chairs and pieces of wood in one corner, their edges blackened and curled. The walls were covered in scratches and claw marks. On one dark wall hung a wanted poster of Sirius Black, screaming from his cell at Azkaban. The claw marks seemed to lead towards a narrow-darkened hallway –

Draco motioned for them to continue down the corridor. “Nope, not going that way. I refuse,” her whisper coming more and more determined.

“It’s just a hallway, Astoria –”

“Do you see the walls?!”

“That just adds to the charm. Come on, let’s go upstairs –”

“Absolutely not.”

He didn’t respond verbally, instead pulling her forward towards the twisting hallway where there was no natural light. She tentatively took a step forward. The house was so silent her and Draco’s footsteps sounded like dull thuds. A dark mass shifted slightly in the inky blackness, its form appearing in her vision for a brief moment before it disappeared –

All of the hairs on the back of the neck stood up. She squeaked in fear as her adrenaline spiked, squeezing Draco’s hand hard, “I – I – I saw something –“

He looked surprised, big blue-grey eyes on hers, “I – didn’t – I’m sure it’s just a bird or mouse or something –”

_That was no bird._

He took another few steps forward, Ari shuffling behind him. The hallway curved around; Ari could see a staircase in the back. There were two dark doorways on either side, she resolutely refused to look in them straight on. They passed the first doorway, Ari’s peripheral vision thankfully seeing no movement. At the second, she again saw nothing but black. She took a step forward –

A small cold gust of wind brushed by the back of her neck, just as a she felt a whisper of a touch at her shoulder. “Boo –“ it whispered into her ear.

The adrenaline spike hit her veins instantly. She screamed, jumping into Draco’s arms, clawing at his back, burying her head into his chest –

Who was laughing so hard he could barely breathe –

She slowly let go to see Pansy, tears streaming down her face –

_They – they –_

“You should have seen your face, oh Merlin –”

“That was the best thing we’ve done in ages, Draco – ”

“I can’t believe you two!” she yelped, as she punched them in the shoulders at the same time.

\-----

They had taken her to the Three Broomsticks when her teeth refused to stop chattering, a result of the adrenaline and chill that the Shrieking Shack emanated. Draco had wrapped his scarf around her so many times the bulk was impeding her vision. She only pulled it down once she felt the warmth of a butterbeer mug in her hands, shuddering in delight as the warmth curled down her throat and insides.

Her frosty glare never left though. _These two assholes –_

“You both suck,” Ari said, leveling her eyes at each of them in turn.

Draco and Pansy both looked like delighted cheshire cats, “Sorry Astoria, but man was that worth it –”

“That was bloody brilliant, Pansy. I can’t believe you pulled that off so well. The way you snuck past us in the hallway –“

Pansy’s eyes sparkled, “I know! I transfigured a sheet before too –"

“How long had you both have this planned?” she asked icily, cutting them off.

“Oh, you know, just a few days –” Pansy said, trailing off into the distance. Ari followed her eyeline, seeing a flash of long silvery blond hair.

“You should go,” she whispered to her.

“Are you – are you sure? I can stay and continue to tease you –”

“ _Go.”_

“Okay, I’ll catch up with you guys later –”

“Be safe, okay? Have fun,” Ari said, feeling a bit like a parent seeing her daughter off on a date.

The feeling was apparently mutual. Pansy pointedly rolled her eyes at her as a goodbye before quickly melding into the crowd. Draco moved around the booth, so he was sitting next to her.

“So that’s your idea of a date, huh?”

He grinned softly, looking into this butterbeer. “One of them, yeah. I have others, if you’re interested –”

“Like?”

She knew they were starting to tread into dangerous territory, but she couldn’t keep herself from asking. His eyes moved up from the rim of his glass to meet hers, “Playing hide and seek with Peeves and the Bloody Baron –”

“Don’t you dare –”

He moved closer to her, his breath tickling her ear, “Ghost hunting at the manor this summer, just the two of us – late at night –”

She shivered at his words, goosebumps breaking out on her arms.

He kissed right along her jawbone, “ – I have so many ideas, Astoria. If you’d only say yes –”

 _If only you knew who I truly was,_ she thought to herself, before she turned her face to meet his, giving in to the magnetic pull of his eyes and lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D I really loved this chapter, and I hope y'all did too :D
> 
> From here on out, and I assume you know given where we are in the story, but things are going to get a lot more serious overall. <3 Next chapter should be out Wednesday/Thursday :) with a double release on the weekend. Sending you so much love!


	27. The Dark Mark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please note: I would say this chapter dives into some more uncomfortable stuff than I've written about before, as does future chapters.

It was another day of being stuck in Potions, listening to Snape drone monotonously on about the properties of armadillo bile. It was disgusting, it smelled disgusting, and Ari couldn’t wait to get as far away from it as humanly possible. But of course, Snape would find a way to mention it at least 19 times in the span of 45 minutes. Apparently, the class would have the pleasure of working with it again, making Ari’s jaw clench in revulsion.

_At least Snape will finally shut up._

The class broke up into small groups, Ari, Draco and Pansy forming their usual trio. Draco and Pansy got to work setting up the cauldron and cutting up the ingredients. “Astoria, could you grab some armadillo bile for us?” Pansy asked, before a telltale smirk appeared on her face, “Oh, and not fainting this time would be great.”

“You’re so clever,” Ari sniped back.

Draco glanced up, a look of hesitant concern on his face.

“I promise I won’t faint this time,” she said to him quietly.

“But you can’t promise –”

“Yes, I can. Watch me,” she said, confidently smiling up at him before she walked towards the store of potion ingredients on the other side of the wall. Making her way quickly to the cabinet, she was grabbing the armadillo bile when she heard furious whispering coming from Harry’s table, with all Hermione, Ron, and Harry all refusing to look up. Choosing a path that led her by their table, she was just able to hear –

“– If I catch you breaking into my office one more time –”

“I haven’t been anywhere near –”

_Oh – Snape’s figured out the Polyjuice ingredients are missing –_

_That means –_

As if on cue, a knock wrapped on the door to the classroom, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look up. “Enter,” came Snape’s voice at once, heading back towards his desk.

Igor Karkaroff strode in, eyes immediately alighting on Snape’s, “We need to talk.” His movements were quick and nervous, quickly glancing around the classroom to find a sea of faces staring back at him in interest.

“If I catch any of you not working on the assignment, I will assign detention.”

Everyone’s faces snapped to their desks, trying to avoid Snape’s wrathful eye. Ari looked at Pansy and Draco, each finding them coming up with clever ways of being able to look back towards the front of the classroom. To Karkaroff, Snape barked, “I’ll talk to you after the lesson is finished.”

“Severus, you’ve been avoiding me –”

“I said _after_ –”

Karkaroff spent the rest of the class perched around Snape’s desk. While Snape appeared annoyed, Ari could see that his hand would briefly tremble as he turned each page, belying his nervousness that simmered underneath the surface. The rest of the class passed in a tense quiet, no one quite sure what was going on.

The second class ended, most were thrilled to leave, quickly grabbing their bags and rushing out. Ari, Draco and Pansy shot quick glances to each other, Ari _accidentally_ knocking over her quill and ink as she got her things together. Ink was now everywhere. They smirked as they headed out, understanding her rouse. She got on her hands and knees to begin cleaning up just as she saw Harry sweeping up his armadillo bile he also coincidentally dropped.

Once everyone had left, Snape immediately cornered Karkaroff. “ _What_?”

“ _This_ ,” Karkaroff flung back in a tortured whisper, shoving his sleeve up, “Surely you must have noticed – ”

Ari had to keep from gasping. It was a tattoo, no, a deep red _brand_ of a snake coming out of a skull’s mouth, pulsating against the pale of his forearm. 

_That is what it looks like –_ Ari felt suddenly ill, forgetting to look like she was cleaning. Snape’s eyes swept the classroom, noticing her bookbag –

“Greengrass, Potter! What are you still both doing here?”

Ari answered before Harry, “Just – just leaving, sir! Sorry, I spilled my ink –”

“Both of you, out _now_ –”

Ari ran out, unable to look up to see their expressions.

She and Harry went their opposite ways as soon as they exited. Ari knew he was immediately heading towards his friends, just as she was. She walked towards the dungeons, finding them waiting in an alcove, heads bent low. Their eyes met hers immediately. “What –”

“Not here,” she said, voice hard, “Common room. Now.”

\-----

“Karkaroff showed Snape a tattoo on his arm – but – but why?” Pansy asked, a completely bewildered expression on her face.

“He said to Snape, ‘surely you must have noticed’ as if something about it had changed. It seemed like it was getting _darker_ ,” Ari kept her voice low, trying to hint at the true implications of her words.

“But – but – that can’t be,” Draco said, dumbfounded, “There’s no way – Father’s was only ever faded, he said that –” he trailed off.

Ari regarded Draco in the dim green light, trying to ascertain how much he knew, “What did he say, Draco?”

“That – that it was never going to come back, ever. You must have seen wrong –”

“What is it?” Pansy asked Draco, though Ari had a feeling she might already know the answer.

“It’s a – mark the Dark Lord branded his – followers with –“ seeing Pansy’s disturbed expression, he quickly added, “It turns black when it’s active. But he’s gone –”

“That’s what was seen over the Quidditch cup, right?” Ari asked, “Someone summoned it then.” _Please don’t say what I think you’re about to –_

“Oh that – that was just harmless. Just a way to piss off some mud - muggleborns. None of it mattered –”

 _Fuck._ Ari squeezed her eyes shut for a second, a million thoughts and images hitting her at once. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about it, the things he did, what he probably accepted about his father’s past. That every action and word he used was a product of his upbringing, reinforced through his parents, his last name, his school, and his friends. How could she ever have hoped that she would be enough to change it –

That Pansy was just the same –

She knew one thing above all else. _Once you find out, it will destroy everything we have._ _I’ve lied to you both, kept things from you, and I’m the embodiment of everything you –_

_You –_

_Hate._

Seeing her distraught expression, he reached over and grabbed her hand, Pansy grabbing her shoulder. It only broke her more.

_\-----_

Ari tossed and turned that night, her mind unable to get some respite from the growing anxiety and guilt that surrounded her. While she had avoided lying whenever possible, the feeling that she was hiding her true self tore at her. Until this point, she had been able to keep her self-doubt and remorse at bay by focusing on what came next, pushing aside that small nagging voice. She couldn’t ignore it anymore.

She knew there would be a point where she would have to tell them. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself otherwise.

 _None of this was supposed to happen._ She stared into the darkness, seeing blue-grey eyes regarding her from the bed’s canopy.

_I’m so sorry, Draco._

\------

She was up before dawn, feeling restless. She padded softly through the halls, letting the staircases take her wherever they wanted. She found herself wandering halls she had never seen before, finding herself in long forgotten corners, complete with disused, dusty classrooms, and small alcoves. Looking out a window, she realized she must be on the sixth or the seventh floor by now.

_Wait – the seventh floor – isn’t that –_

She walked towards a classroom, wondering if the room number would help her figure out where she was. Its plaque was tarnished, she rubbed at it with her finger, the letter appearing first. Slowly, her finger turning dark with rust, she scraped at its surface -

_7B_

_It is the seventh floor!_ She darted through the corridor, looking for the tapestry. There were at least five she had passed, she couldn’t quite remember what it was –

_Something ridiculous, I think –_

_Well, if it comes down to it, I can use a process of elimination –_

She rounded a corner, coming to a part of the castle that was unusually devoid of classrooms, broom closets, or windows. Consciously trying to not get excited, she saw a tapestry facing a blank wall. The tapestry was faded, but seemed to depict a man teaching several trolls ballet. _That’s it! How does it work again?_

_You walk past it – twice? No – three times –_

She tried to think of something she could test it with. _How about a room to make a map of Hogwarts with – it’s worth a shot, right?_

She wasn’t quite sure how far to walk. She figured several strong strides should be enough. She mumbled under her breath, “I need a place to make a map of Hogwarts – I need a place to make a map of Hogwarts – I need a place to make a map of Hogwarts –” as she paced back and forth.

She faced the stone wall, feeling like a kid who just said Bloody Mary in the mirror, waiting to see a face. Nothing happened. Her cocked her head, craning her head to look back at the tapestry. Maybe she had gotten it wrong?

She heard the soft sound of stone scraping stone, she whirled around, her eyes growing wide. The stones were turning in on themselves, replaced with an archway filled by a solid oak door. Her heart was thumping erratically in her chest, she grabbed the handle, slowly rotating the knob.

She found herself in a small room abutted by massive windows. They overlooked a side of the castle towards the lake. Dawn was just breaking over the hills, a vivid wash of coral against the dark grey of the clouds on the horizon, before being swallowed up in the mist that hugged the water’s surface. She looked down, seeing the spires of Hogwarts beginning to glint in the light. Her breath caught in her throat, wondering what Draco think if he saw this –

_Ari – focus._

She eyes swept across the room. There was a large drafting desk off to one side, complete with large grid paper and mapmaking supplies. Next to the desk was a model of Hogwarts, labelled 1:150 scale–

_Oh, this is perfect –_

She strode towards it, marveling in its meticulous construction. It captured every essence of Hogwarts, from the soaring turrets down to the tiny panes of glass on Hagrid’s hut. _Jesus, this castle is massive –_

Her eyes roved down, looking for the quidditch pitch. If she could measure the general area and sketch the perimeter, maybe it would be more manageable to enchant. Towards the end of the model there was several pennants around a circular area –

Ari’s eyes grew wide. There was no quidditch pitch. Instead, she could see the perfect precision of tiny square hedges, slowly twisting around themselves –

 _They must have started construction on the maze already, and the room made a scale of Hogwarts as it stands today._ Not quite believing her luck, Ari immediately set to work.

\-----

 _Well, this looks like a five-year-old made it._ _It’ll have to do, though. Who knew cartography would have been a useful skill?_

Ari had drawn several crudely maps of several parts of Hogwarts, including the area in front of Hagrid’s Hut, the Great Hall, and of course, the maze. She figured that by making each progressively larger and more detailed she could work her way up to the maze. 

She looked around, realizing that the sun was now far above the horizon’s clouds. _Shit_ – Carefully folding up her charts and tucking them into her cloak, she quickly made her way back to the dungeons.

\-----

Stepping into the common room, she found Draco, Pansy, and Daphne in a small semi-circle, camped by the entrance. They jumped when she walked in. _Fuck – fuck – fuck – How long was I gone?_

“Astoria!”

“ – We were so worried. You weren’t there when we got up, and then you weren’t at the Great Hall –”

Draco was the last to speak. “Where were you?” he asked, keeping his voice deliberately, dangerously calm.

“I’m sorry, you guys – I couldn’t sleep and then I started walking around the castle and I sort of got – lost –” she said sheepishly, her excuse even sounding weak to her ears, “I guess I must have lost track of time. I’m so sorry to have worried you.”

Draco stomped towards her, encircling her upper arms with his hands. “You can’t do that – Do you know what would happen if you – if you –“ he trailed off, his eyes searching hers.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t – thinking –”

“You weren’t, huh?” the blue-grey in his irises exploding in anger, “Do you have any idea how long you were gone? That we were going to get Snape to come _find_ you?” 

His hands had begun to squeeze her biceps. Ari wasn’t even sure if he was cognizant that he was doing it. “Draco – please –”

“If you can’t sleep, or you want to go outside – you find one of us first. You do _not_ walk around by yourself where you could faint and – and –“ his hands tightening –

“Draco, that’s _enough_ ,” Pansy’s voice tersely commanded, suddenly placing a hand on his forearm. 

The touch seemed to bring him back to his body. He focused on his hands, the reds of his fingertips around Ari’s arms. He met her startled gaze before he started blinking hard, taking a step back. “I – I’m sorry,” he mumbled, ducking his head as he quickly walked away.

Pansy completely ignored his exit, focusing entirely on Ari, “You okay?” she asked, her hand brushing one of Ari’s arms.

Ari let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, “Yeah. I need to – talk to him, I think –”

“You sure? I’m more than happy to go scream at him for an hour. Merlin, that was not fucking cool,” she quietly swore, eyes glancing over Ari’s upper arms.

Daphne had crossed the room, staring at them with massive eyes, “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“I mean, it wasn’t the best thing to happen to me this week, but no, he didn’t hurt me,” her eyes grew soft, “I’m really sorry about all of this – ”

Pansy interjected, “I mean, the whole fainting thing complicates things, but you’re allowed to walk around without a chaperone. This isn’t 1892. Just, leave a note next time, yeah?”

“Deal,” Ari said, before she was crushed into a massive hug by the two of them.

\-----

They figured he would be at the lake. Pansy and Daphne walked with her most of the way, before they split off to head to the library.

She looked down the gradient towards the shore, finding him hurling stones at the water some distance away. His head looked up; the pebbles dropping from his open palm as he watched her approach. When she was within yelling distance, he took one step towards her, hesitantly bridging the gap between them. Ari stopped, unsure about how he was going to react.

“I’m really sorry, Astoria –”  
  
“I know you are,” she responded, not breaking his gaze, “But that was not okay.”

“All I could think was that you had fainted – and fallen – and I wasn’t there – and then you came in like nothing had happened –”

“But that doesn’t condone how you acted. You can’t touch someone like that without their permission. You could have hurt me –” she said, consciously trying to keep her voice level.

“I know,” he said in a tortured voice, “I just got so angry. I hate that I – I did that –“

“You can’t carry that hurt and anger with you everywhere, otherwise it will just get worse. I understand why you were upset. And I’m so sorry that I made you feel that way, but –”

“ –It wasn’t okay.”

“Yeah –”

He reached out towards her, palms facing upward, “Can I hug you? Properly this time? I understand if you don’t want to –"

“I think I would like that.”

He tenderly enfolded her in his arms, head coming to rest into the crook of her neck. Ari let herself dissolve in the warmth of his embrace. _Why does this feel this good?_

His head came up from her shoulder, “But why didn’t you come get me? I would have protected you –”

 _How in a million years would I have known that?_ “You’re suggesting I should have woken you up at 5am? Or whatever time it was? Because plenty of girls just waltz up into the guy’s dorms at all hours of the night –”

“I mean, they do –”

Ari ignored him, “You know what I mean.”

“Astoria, I want you to do that – I want you to rely on me,” he said plaintively, hands lightly gripping her waist.

 _You won’t, though, once you know –_ “I do rely on you, for so many things –”

“No, you don’t,” he said with conviction, eyes beginning to simmer again. He squeezed them shut, taking a deep breath, “Sorry. I – I didn’t mean that.”

“I know this is unfair. Please just – just trust me.”

Ari saw him sadly nod his head once, then pulled her back towards him. “What is it that you want?” he murmured into her hair, “I’ll try to do anything, please give me –”

“The one thing I want is what you can’t give me,” she said, voice barely above a whisper, “For you to not be Draco Malfoy, and me to not be Astoria Greengrass.”

 _Because then I could be yours._ She gripped him tighter, finding that tears were forming in her eyes.

\-----

They walked back to the castle together quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. It wasn’t until they reached the Great Hall that she realized she hadn’t said anything at all. “Pansy and Daphne are in the library. I was thinking about going –” she realized her intonation had raised, as if she were asking a question, “There’s some homework I wanted to catch up on – ”

_Why am I so nervous?_

“Is it okay if I go with you?” he asked tentatively, “I can work on History of Magic.”

 _Wait, is he nervous too?_ She softly smiled at him, “Finally trying to take Binns’ class seriously, I see?”

“What can I say, the Goblin Rebellion of 1752 was an utterly captivating ten-part lecture –”

They both grinned at one another, Ari finding herself blushing like mad. She looked away, thinking to herself, _you are a complete fool._

Making their way into the library, they found Pansy sitting off by herself in a chair, textbook propped open on her crisscrossed legs. “There you two are,” she said loudly, then dropped her voice, realizing how quiet the library was, “Malfoy, did you apologize and beg for forgiveness?”

“Yeah – sort of –”

Ari gently placed her hand on his arm, “We’re okay, I think,” warmth blooming in her chest when he smiled at her, “Wait, where is Daphne?”

She theatrically sighed, “Justin Finch-Fletchley came by, and she ended up studying with _him_.”

Draco’s eyes hardened, “Where are they sitting, do you know?”

“Draco – let them be –”

“I was merely suggesting we go study near her, I am frankly appalled you think I would do anything untoward –” he said in an insufferable tone.

Ari cupped her hand over her mouth, loudly whispering, “Pansy, should we tell him we’re not in 1892 anymore?”

Pansy mimicked her actions, “Nah, it would ruin the fun – imagine what will happen when he sees an ankle!”

Ari started giggling. Draco’s mouth drew into an annoyed line, ignoring them, “Where are they sitting?”

“Someone’s in a bit of a mood today. I think they went that way –” Pansy said, pointing to her left.

They set out in that direction, spying her and Justin through the stacks. Ari put her finger to her lips, crouching low so all three of them could see. They were sitting across from one another, both with open books. Justin’s thick dark hair was parted in the middle, looking every bit the classic 90s sitcom heartthrob. Daphne looked up, smiling, as she pointed to something in her book. At that, Justin quickly got up and looked over her shoulder, as they both laughed, Daphne flushing slightly –

“Eee!” Ari squealed softly, “That was so cute!”

“Our own Hogwarts love story right in front of our eyes,” Pansy said, sarcasm dripping from each word.Draco, meanwhile, was boring holes into Justin’s head, watching the interaction intently, “I think I’ll go sit with them –”

“You have to admit that was adorable.”

“Not in the least. Did you see him take advantage of her like that?!”

“Definitely back in 1892,” Pansy whispered to Ari, as Draco cuffed her playfully on the back of her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I had a fluffy chapter on New Year's Eve, sorry it didn't turn out that way. Sending you guys a lot of love, though! Here's to hoping 2021 is far, far better than the year most of us had :) 
> 
> It will be another double release this weekend, Saturday and Sunday. I will also try to release more frequently than that following, as we're getting close to the end and I don't want to leave anyone hanging for too long :)
> 
> Whoo boy, y'all. What I've depicted here is far from okay. I hope it wasn't too bad. If anyone is uncomfortable with the subject matter, or would like me to add a warning to the Chapter Summary, please let me know and I am happy to do so.


	28. The Homonculous Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things come to a head.

She roved the shelves of the Charms section, pulling any book she could find on advanced charms work or wizard cartography. Particularly involving the latter, there seemed to be very few resources, and Ari was left feeling frustrated and discouraged. While she had been able to draft the maps, they meant nothing if she couldn’t figure out how the Homonculus charm worked. In her mind’s eye was a countdown clock, a constant presence that wound its way down as they got closer and closer to the third challenge. 

She truly felt at a loss for how she was going to accomplish this. Her plan in general felt like complete insanity. _Go into the maze by yourself with a curse that doesn’t allow you to be hexed. Great idea, Ari._

_Well, it’s not like I have any other options at this point –_

She was exhausted with fighting with herself. Unceremoniously depositing her finds at a table that overlooked a small courtyard, she began to mindlessly thumb through one the books. _Maybe I could ask Professor Flitwick? Would that attract too much attention –_

“Just the person I wanted to find –”

Ari’s eyes bolted upwards, finding kind grey ones. She immediately blushed, “Oh – Hi Cedric, how’s it going?”

“Bloody awful, if I’m being honest.”

“Join the club,” she said, smiling as he laughed, finding that the sound filled the room with its musicality. _No wonder he has so little problem making friends._

Another voice piped up; _it doesn’t hurt that he’s gorgeous –_ _Oh shut up, brain._

“Working on the third task, I presume?”

“What gave it away? My gigantic bookbag or that I obviously haven’t slept in three days?”

She grinned, “Both–”

“I really look that bad, huh,” he scratched his head sheepishly, cheeks darkening, “Is it all right if you join you?”

“I’m joking, you look fine,” Ari said, purposefully disregarding his small grin, “Feel free to sit! Though it might get a bit crowded. I think my friends might be coming, too –”

“The more the merrier, I say. I need all hands on deck for this, anyways.”

“Show me what you’re working on. I need a break from – from whatever this is –” she responded, looking vacantly at her huge stack of books. _This is impossible._

He sat down next to her, pulling out a myriad of books on magical creatures and defensive spell casting. “Well that – that just looks awful –” Ari deadpanned.

Cedric chuckled, “You’re telling me. So apparently, we’re meant to go through a maze for the final challenge. Just found out about it a few days ago. Hagrid is providing some magical creatures, there’s supposed to be some spells we have to figure out. I have no clue where to even start –”

“I can see why,” she tried to remember exactly what happens, “Well – begin with what you know, right?”

“That we are all incredibly unprepared?”

She giggled, “Well yes, that. But also, based on your wording I think there might be a clue. If Hagrid is providing the creatures, that must mean they’re ones he either already has or could get relatively easily –”

“Oh! Brilliant idea! Like those blast-skrewt things I’ve heard about –“

 _You got the hint! “_ Yes, those,” Ari said, noticeably grimacing, “It’s our class that has to take care of them.”

“Do you know much about them?”

“Honestly, not a thing. The blast-ended skrewts that did the best were the worst treated, and they also started eating one another at one point – ” Cedric looked at her with a horrified expression, “I know. They’re nasty. I bet you could use the Impediment jinx on it though. Or maybe petrify it?” She frowned, thinking.

“So, definitely assuming skrewts would be there –”

“That would probably be wise?” Ari said, trying to shrug her shoulders to appear nonchalant.

His eyes grew wide, “You know what else might be there! What about creatures you can find in the Forbidden Forest?”

“I really don’t want to –” Inside, she was begging him to keep going.

He laughed again, “Do you think it could be like an acromantula or something? Those things give me the heebie-jeebies.”

 _You are far too good at figuring this out,_ “I wouldn’t put it past Hagrid, he probably kept one as a pet –”

He shuddered, “That’s horrifying –”

“Tell me about it. Giant spiders are the stuff of nightmares –”

_And I have to figure out how to get past one. Fuck me._

“Well as usual you’ve been an incredible help. And I haven’t repaid the favor at all –”

“I feel like it’s all you,” Ari responded, smiling, “I just give you weird side commentary.”

“Hah! Hardly. Actually, maybe I can help you? What are you working on?”

“Well, I – actually,” _it wouldn’t hurt to ask, right,_ “Do you happen to know anything about charms for mapmaking? I’m working on this weird project for Charms, and I wanted to do this thing where I could map out everyone in the class and show their location –”

_This is probably sounding so bizarre._

“That sounds clever – let me think –” he reached over and grabbed one of the books from Ari’s pile, flipping through the pages, “I think – there! I found about it while studying for the O.W.L’s. It’s pretty advanced but take a look.”

They both peered over the page –

_The Homonculous charm is an ingenious way to track someone’s movements in a surveyed area. By casting the incantation “Homunculi” onto a map, the parchment becomes enchanted to chart everyone’s whereabouts within that vicinity. A perfect charm for a school setting._

“Flitwick will be impressed if you can pull this off.”

They looked up at one another, Ari grinning from ear to ear, “Cedric, you’re a genius. Thank you –”

She was stopped by a large shadow that loomed over her, darkening the page that lay before them.

“There you are –” Draco wrapped his arm around her shoulder from behind, kissing her cheek. Ari’s eyes widened involuntarily. _He must have seen us and gotten jealous, oh for the love of Christ –_

“I don’t believe we’ve officially met. Draco Malfoy,” he said, offering his hand to a surprised Cedric, while still keeping his other hand on Ari’s shoulder. Ari’s nostrils flared as she tried to keep her anger at bay; she could hear multiple voices within her simultaneously wanting to scream at him.

“Oh, er—hi, Cedric Diggory,” he said, taking his hand.

“Bloody brilliant work you did during the last task.”

“Thanks,” Cedric had the good nature to appear abashed, “You know, a lot of it is thanks to Astoria, actually –”

“Oh, really? She’s quite the brilliant witch –” he said congenially, as his hand tightened on her shoulder.

_I am going to scream at him. There’s no way this isn’t happening now._

Ari quickly interjected, “Cedric’s just being modest, I really didn’t do anything – ”

“Astoria is the modest one. She always seems to know exactly what to say –”

Ari did not want to fight the desperate urge to extricate herself from this situation. “Cedric, I am so sorry, but I seem to have forgotten about something I need to help out with – at our common room. Draco, _aren’t you needed too_?” she said, forcibly removing his hand from her shoulder. “We’ve gotta run. I’ll see you soon?”  
  
“No worries – I have to study for some classes too. You’ve been a fantastic help. Great to meet you, mate –”

“The pleasure is all mine, Cedric,” Draco replied, smile not reaching his eyes.

Ari quickly gathered her books, pulling Draco by the cloak. She shoved him into the quiet area she had found Hermione and Viktor. In a harsh whisper, she asked, “What the fuck was that?”

“I could ask the same of you –” he immediately parried back in a furious undertone, eyes beginning to flash.

“Draco, this is absurd. This is exactly what I was talking about earlier! You said you were going to work on it, remember?”

“It’s bloody hard to do when you’re flirting with fucking Cedric Diggory, okay?”

Ari scoffed, “We weren’t flirting –”

“Yes, you were –”

She was well past the point of having any patience, “Oh, and now you’re going to tell me how I feel?”

Draco’s face had darkened. Ari could see he was clenching his jaw, “Well, I definitely saw how he was looking at you –”

Ari retorted, “He wasn’t looking at me in any way! We’re friends! Not to mention, he has a girlfriend. How do you see these things that aren’t there? He seems to think I can help him with the tasks –” They had both unconsciously taken steps towards one another, and now were easily within one arm’s length apart.

“And you didn’t think to tell me this at all?”

“Because it doesn’t fucking matter –”

“It matters to me!” his hand reached out and grabbed her waist, roughly pulling her towards him, “I hate it – when you talk to other guys – I know you wouldn’t do that, but all I can see is you and them together – That you’re not with me – I don’t know why I’m like this – ”

 _You really know how to pick them, Ari –_ his eyes had turned into a tumultuous swirl of grey, his pupils two frenzied black masses, “Your idiotic and incredibly jealous face is the only one I want to –”

_Kiss –_

He stopped her from talking by doing just that, smashing his lips onto hers as he backed her into the bookcase. She gave in, kissing him back with an angry desire, the cold book spines against her back contrasting against his intense warmth. Her hands took pains to destroy his expertly coiffed hair, delighting when she felt his locks begin to curl around her fingers. He bit the bottom of her lip hard, she responded by exploring every inch of his mouth with her tongue. He grunted, pressing himself into her till the books were digging into her back, his hands running down her sides.

When they finally came up for air, he whispered, “I’ve wanted to do that since I saw the two of you together –"

She leveled a frustrated glower at him, “You know that’s part of the problem, right?”

\-----

“Where were you this afternoon? I could have really used your help with a certain someone,” Ari whispered to Pansy, shooting glares across the table at Draco.

He smirked at her, mouthing “What?”, as he exaggeratedly stabbed a pea with his fork and brought it up to his mouth. Ari wanted to fling one at the middle of his forehead.

“Sorry, I was –” Pansy frowned, blinking, “Dealing with something…What happened?”

“Usual Draco – Wait. Are you okay?”

“Of course, never better,” she smirked, but her eyes had lost their usual gleam. She glanced at Ari quickly, then focused on the table. 

“You know you can talk to me, right? About anything –”

“It’s noth –” she trailed off, looking towards the Ravenclaw table. Ari followed her line of sight, seeing a curtain of long wispy, silvery blond hair lean down, talking close to someone, laughing. She placed her hand on his arm as she bent to whisper in his ear, watching him turn beet red, before he whispered back, mouth brushing her ear –

_Shit –_

Pansy’s eyes grew wide, face pale and drawn. She shoved herself off the bench and strode out, banging the door to the Great Hall behind her. Fleur never even looked up, still whispering back and forth. 

“What – what happened?” Draco asked her, eyes large.

“ _Fleur –_ ” she whispered, pointing her chin towards her direction.

Draco swiveled his head around, “Fucking Roger Davies,” he mumbled under his breath, “What a complete git –”

“– I should – I should go find her – Do you know where she would go?”

“I’m thinking the common room, I’ll go with you.”

They set off together towards the stairs, Ari growing more concerned by the second. “I can’t imagine how she feels –” she said, seeing Pansy’s eyes flash up in her mind, their intense sudden hurt and betrayal, “Wait – that’s not what you see, right? Because that’s not –”

He sighed heavily, looking at her. “No Astoria, that’s what I imagine,” he said, a slightly haunted look on his face. He smiled self-deprecatingly, “It’s probably one thing to think it and another to see it happen, though–”

 _Oh, Draco – you ridiculous human._ She reached out towards him, interlacing her fingers with his as they hurried down the stone steps.

\-----

They found her curled up in the window seat, hugging her shoulders as she watched the moonlight filter through the water. At their approach, she brushed at her cheeks with her hands, eyes red.

“Oh love,” Ari said softly, going to sit next opposite to her in the windowsill. Draco stood off to the side, leaning against the wall. He seemed somewhat unsure what to do. Ari wondered if he had ever seen someone’s heart break before.

“You want to talk about it?”

“- No –”

“Good, ‘cause me neither,” Ari responded, glad to see a ghost of a smile linger on her face for a brief second, “Would you believe me if I said you were too good for her?”

“No – I mean, look at her,” she said despondently, tilting her head back to rest on the windowsill.

“That only goes so far. And from what I saw, she can’t hold a candle to you.”

“How –”

“First off, you’re gorgeous. And you have a fantastic sense of humor, you’re brilliant, you’re a great friend, you somehow happen to know where every house-elf is within a 4-mile radius –”

“Okay, now you’re just trying to butter me up –”

“Is it working?”

“…No…”

“I can keep going –”

Pansy interrupted her, “I would really rather you didn’t –”

“Well too bad. Because you are all that. And so much more. And she was completely blind for not seeing it. Why she didn’t spoon feed you pudding in the middle of the Great Hall is a complete mystery to me –”

She grinned for a second before her smile faded, “I’m no Roger Davies, I guess.”

 _No, love, don’t think that way –_ “Davies is awful and you know it,” Draco said from behind Ari. Ari nodded seriously in agreement.

“And what’s more is she didn’t treat you the way you deserved to be treated, Pans.”

“How do you mean?”

“She never came to hang out with us. She never wanted to. You always went to her. How is that in any way fair to you?”

“Well, she was really busy – and we didn’t really want other people to know –”

“But you’re busy, too. And you still made time. And I dunno, we knew, and she never even wanted to meet us? Shouldn’t she want to meet your friends? I bet you wanted to meet her friends, right?” Pansy nodded slightly, “And it’s not like two girls having dinner together is some unheard-of thing –”

“Astoria’s right,” Draco said in a low voice.

“You deserve so much more Pans, you deserve someone who constantly tells you the things we’re telling you, and who wants to be with you all day every day until they drive you nuts –”

“Not someone who flirts with someone else in front of you in the middle of dinner,” Draco added.

They sat for a couple of moments in silence, before Draco asked, “Does this mean I can finally say how annoying Fleur is?”

“I thought I was the only one!” Ari exclaimed, grinning as she turned her head to look at Draco.

He smirked back at her, “Have you seen how she constantly complains about dinner –”

“And she’s always freezing but she can’t be bothered to put on an actual cloak –” Ari finished for him.

“She’s not _that_ bad –” Pansy added quietly, a small, quiet smile on her face.

“Yes, she is,” Draco and Ari said at the same time.

Pansy glared at them as they both laughed. Her expression had lightened somewhat, but her eyes were still drawn and sad, taking turns focusing on Ari and Draco. Ari held out her arms to her and was extremely grateful when Pansy came over and ducked under one arm, resting on the hollow of Ari’s shoulder. Draco came up to her other side and wrapped his arm around Pansy’s shoulder, categorically listing everything about Fleur he couldn’t stand. Pansy immediately refuted most of what he said, but Ari could tell it was helping lift her spirits tremendously.

For her part, Ari was beyond thrilled to listen to them bicker, wishing with every piece of her being that things between them would never change.

She knew it was only a matter of time before it did, though.

\-----

“This is going to sound strange, but do you want to sleep with me tonight?” Ari asked Pansy as they were getting ready for bed.

“I –er – _what_?!” she sputtered back.

“Not like _that_. I mean, I have always been curious –”

“Nope – not having this conversation –” Pansy said, two bright red spots appearing on her cheeks.

 _I can’t believe I finally made Pansy blush._ “Pans, I’m joking. I meant physically sleep in my bed tonight. If you want, of course. I just remember that when horrible things have happened to me, what was hardest was sleeping alone. Feel free if you want. Otherwise, I hope you sleep well, okay lovely?”

“Nox,” Ari said quietly, still not quite over the surprise of seeing the lights around her dim. After a few minutes, she heard her curtains open as Pansy softly climbed in with her, taking her favorite pillow with her.

Ari turned to face her, grinning, “I can’t believe I successfully seduced you like that –”

“Oh, shut up –”

Ari touched her arm, before her face turned serious, “I’m so sorry for what happened today. It’s not fair, and you didn’t deserve any of it. Do you want to talk about what happened today? Before dinner?”

She inhaled to begin speaking, “When I took her around Hogsmeade it seemed like we had a great time, she even liked butterbeer,” Pansy smiled when she saw Ari’s shocked expression in the darkness, “But ever since then, she’s just been acting really, well, strangely? Like sort of distant. She used to send me notes or look at me a certain way to tell me she wanted to meet, and those all disappeared. And then she did _that_ – I just feel so…lost, I guess –”

“Do you want my actual thoughts or do you want me to be nice?”

“Hmmm, how mean are you going to be? Is it worse than Draco’s ten-part treatise I had to endure earlier?” 

Ari grinned, “Less nitpicky, more overall angry, though –”

“Just say it, Astoria –”

“I fucking can’t stand this girl, Pansy. I don’t how you put up with her,” Ari said flatly.

Pansy protested, “You put up with Draco –”

“This is so not the point –”

“It kind of is –”

“Not with this. Draco can be a complete ass, especially today, my god, but he wouldn’t do any of those things. No one should have to miraculously know they can meet their girlfriend from a glance. No one should have to wonder why their girlfriend suddenly stopped talking to them when they obviously did nothing wrong. And no one should see their girlfriend flirt with someone else the way she did tonight. You’re worth so much more than everything she’s ever given you. End of story.”

“She’s not really my girlfriend, we’re just, er – exclusively seeing each other, I guess, or we were –”  
  
“You’re just proving my point more and more here –”

“But, I – I really like her –”

“I know you do. And I’m sure some things about her that are really great. But there’s a lot that is very much _not_ , and I don’t think she’s going to change. And that’s not fair to you.”

She stared up into the darkness for a minute, thinking things over. Ari squeezed her arm in reassurance. After a moment, she rolled back over, a sly look on her face, “So what exactly happened with you and Draco?”

Ari smiled, “Prepare yourself for something truly cringy –”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pansy is an angel and deserves the whole world and then some. <3
> 
> Also, I made up the homonculous charm because there isn't an actual incantation from what I can find...if anyone has any leads, please let me know (my spell-name-making abilities are horrendous).
> 
> Another update again tomorrow! Happy 2021 everyone!! <3


	29. The Maps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a cartographic wonderland, Hogwarts.

Ari stood in front of Hagrid’s hut, her first map in her hands. She had arrived so early no one was there for class yet, hoping that she could work on the charm without anyone present. _It’s now or never._ Willing her hands to be steady, she grabbed her wand, lightly touching it to the parchment.

“Homonculi,” she whispered, watching as a faint blue light emanated from her wand, before dissolving into the paper, the way a drop of dye would slowly disperse through water.

But then, nothing changed, no words appeared. She stared down at it with uncertain eyes, wondering if she needed to move her wand a certain way that wasn’t mentioned in the text. _Maybe try a figure eight shape?_

She was just about to try again when a small dot appeared, just as another appeared inside Hagrid’s hut. Two small banners unfurled beneath, neatly spelling _Astoria Greengrass_ and _Rubeus Hagrid._ _Astoria’s dot._ She had done it!

Hagrid’s dot was moving around a small corner, Ari wondered if he was making breakfast. She watched as other little dots appeared on the periphery of the page, slowly moving towards the center, _Justin Finch-Fletchley_ with _Hannah Abbot_ and _Ernie MacMillan_ –

 _Draco Malfoy_ and _Pansy Parkinson_ –

Shoving her map into her journal, she smiled up at them as they arrived, hiding her quivering hands in her cloak. 

“Merlin you weren’t lying when you said you wanted to get here early,” Pansy called out, smirking, “Have a good talk with Hagrid about whatever you needed?”

Ari nodded, “Oh I – er, yes – He’s um, making breakfast now, I think,” internally kicking herself for not coming up with a better excuse.

Draco stared at her with slightly narrowed eyes. She refused to meet his gaze, convinced he could see right through her.

\-----

Ari had to patiently wait for the chance to work on the Great Hall map. Her class workload was growing precipitously, and even though she was probably better prepared than most, the three of them were finding themselves up later and later to stay on top of things.

Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, she would pull out her map and activate it with wand, carefully watching Hagrid and his dog Fang move about his little hut.

\-----

“If I have to write another inch on the intricacies of trans-species transfiguration, I will turn into a guinea pig myself,” Pansy whispered during study hall. Ari snorted, instantly pretending to be engrossed in the table when Snape’s eyes lasered into their general direction.

Draco smirked, rolling his eyes. “Smooth.”

She teasingly widened her eyes before shushing him, watching as his smirk turned into a small grin.

“I do think I’d make a pretty cute guinea pig –” Pansy murmured.

“ _Miss Parkinson_ ,” Snape’s deep voice reverberating in the quiet hall, “I don’t think your house would appreciate if I had to deduct points from Slytherin, would they?”

Pansy kept her head down, trying to hide her sly smile, “No, sir –”

“Good.”

Trying to hide her laughs, Ari spent the rest of the period passing a drawing of a guinea pig between the three of them, that soon had sprouted several heads and a pair of wings.

After the study Ari rubbed her face with her hands, groaning, “This is endless. Was it this bad in previous years? Did I purposefully block that out?” _Astoria must have, I can’t blame her._

“We are just one year away from our O.W.L’s, Miss Greengrass,” Draco admonished. Ari had a sudden mental image of him as a teacher, curly hair slightly askew as he rolled up his sleeves –

_Keep it PG, brain._

“Thanks, _Professor Malfoy_ ,” Pansy testily responded, her eyes flicking to Ari’s for a brief second. She picked up her ink pot to put in her bag, then swished it around, “Damn, I think I’m running out.”

“You can just borrow some of mine, or try the replenishing charm?” Ari asked as she pulled out hers.

“Nah, I should probably go grab some. I have a feeling we’ll be in the library till they kick us out. The walk will probably do me some good, anyhow. Astoria, Draco, you want to come?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Draco said, looking towards Astoria.

 _This could be my chance_. “Actually – I’ll just meet you guys in the library? I have er—something to take care of.”

“My, aren’t you full of secrets?”

“Very boring secrets, like finding reference books for Charms –” _It isn’t a lie. Right? Oh, fuck me._

Before they could object, Ari waved goodbye, pretending to walk towards the library. She waited about a minute or two to turn around to head back towards the Great Hall. She found the entryway pretty deserted, mostly filled with students quickly trying to get to other parts of the castle.

She swiftly exited out the front door, glancing furtively around to find a quiet spot before pulling out her map and wand. This one was about a third bigger, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to manage it without several tries.

She touched her wand to it as she uttered the incantation, watching as the blue light diffused through the parchment. Almost immediately, small dots started appearing from the center of the map as they radiated outwards, each with little expanding banners. Some dots moved quickly by, while others hovered in small groups.

The area of the map was small enough that she could only see the locations of the students in the immediate vicinity, but to Ari it felt incredible. Unfathomable, even that she had made not one, but two of these with her own hands. _Maybe the maze won’t be as impossible as I thought –_

She observed the map in wonder for a second, then neatly folded and deposited it next to the other. Heading back into the library, she made a beeline for the charms section. In the main section, she noticed that Cedric was working with a group of friends at a large table, surrounded by a mess of books and parchments.

He smiled and waved at her entrance. Standing up, he excused himself from his friends, confidently walking towards her in the stacks. “ _Oh_ ,” Ari said, surprise evident on her features, “Hi Cedric, you didn’t have to get up –”

“I wanted to say hi,” he said earnestly, “How are you?”

His words made her immediately blush. “I mean, surviving. You?”

“Same, honestly.”

She laughed softly, realizing she hadn’t heard that phrase since before she got to Hogwarts. _He’d have no problem fitting in anywhere, wouldn’t he?_ Rapidly shaking herself from her thoughts she said, “So I take it you’re not interested in being the next Care of Magical Creatures teacher? Because, you know, I could put in a good word –”

He grinned unabashedly, “I would have to turn that down immediately, thanks. Actually, I wanted to ask you how your project for Flitwick was going?”

 _I can’t believe he even remembered,_ “Oh, um, actually, not bad. You were incredibly helpful.” Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Do you want to see it?”

“Of course, I’d love to.”

 _It’s not like I can show it to anyone else._ She thumbed open her journal, unfolding the map for the Great Hall. She touched it with her wand, then passed it to him, “Take a look. This one’s just practice, I’m hoping to have better drafted ones later –”

“Astoria –” his eyes grew wide as he watched the little dots moving across the parchment, “Astoria, this is brilliant.”

“Really?” _I’m sure you could make something just like this –_

“Yes, really,” he said, taking his gaze from the map to her, “Flitwick will blow a gasket.”

“Wow, um –” _your eyes are somewhat mesmerizing_ , “Thank you. That’s high praise, especially from you –”

“You’re going to have to show me how you did this. Maybe after the final task? I’d love to see how it works.”

There was a sudden roar in her ears as her thoughts came crashing back down. Everything she still had to do, everything she hadn’t figured out. She squeezed one fist hard, feeling her nails dig into her palm. “I’d love to show you.”

_I’d like nothing more, Cedric. If I can find a way –_

He grinned, “Great! I look forward to it. I should probably be getting back,” he called over his shoulder, “It was great to see you again.”

She shot her arm out, towards him, “ _Wait_ , hey, Cedric?”

He turned around, “Yeah?”

Her words came out in a jumble, her heart pounding, “The maze – I know this sounds crazy, but don’t touch the wizard cup, okay? Whatever you do –” _Why are you doing this, Ari. He’s never going to believe you –_

His look became confused, he cocked his head, “What do you mean?”

“I have a – feeling – something bad could happen with it –”

He interrupted her, “—But if I don’t take it, I can’t win –”

“There are more important things than winning, Cedric.”

His brow furrowed further, almost turning to defiance, “Like what, Astoria?”

“Like _living_.”

He blinked several times, fixing a piercing look at Ari, “Seriously, what are you saying?”

“I don’t know, I just had a – a dream about it. It felt like I should say something – it’s stupid, I’m sorry –”

“I really should get back. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Without looking at her again, he walked away, shaking his head slightly. _Well, I royally fucked that up._

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a few deep breaths. _You can do this, Ari._ When she opened them, she swore she saw a pair of eyes meet hers in the distance. She blinked again, squinting slightly into the dim light, but saw nothing.

_What was that?_

\-----

That night, she stared up into the bed canopy, comprehending that it was probably going to be another restless night. She felt a headache coming on, wrapping the base of her skull in a dull thudding pain. _Not that, not right now._

She groped along her nightstand, looking for one of the potions Madam Pomfrey had given her. Gulping it down with a grimace, she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, trying to stay calm. She found herself thinking of the eyes she saw in the library. _Was I hallucinating_? She could have almost sworn they looked blue-grey –

 _But there’s no way. They were nowhere around._ When she watched the Great Hall map, she would have seen if either his or Pansy’s names appeared, and they showed up about fifteen minutes later, too, neither of them acting any different than usual. _It’s just stress. It has to be._

She pulled out her journal, ignoring the dull throb in her head. Turning to the bookmarked maps, she pulled out the maze and stared at it in the murky green darkness, tracing the outline of the hedges with her finger. _Maybe I can enchant it now? And go out there later to test it –_

_It’s not like I’m doing anything more productive right now._

She pointed the wand at the paper, whispering “Homunculi”. The blue light whispered through the paper, making it about three-quarters of the way before the glow slowly burned out –

 _It’s never done that before. It’s always made it to the edges of the paper._ She tried again, then a second and a third time. She knew it hadn’t worked.

_Fuck. How am I – how am I going to do this?_

Waiting for the potion to send her into a dreamless sleep, she gazed at the heavy green fabric above her, feeling completely overwhelmed and unprepared.

\-----

The next few weeks passed in an anxious blur. The countdown clock in her head wound down, waking her up in the middle of the night with dreams of Cedric’s eyes turning cold and lifeless, the terror in Harry’s face as he watched his worst fear to come to life –

She forced herself not to think about it, instead finding herself hiding more and more from her friends. She knew they could tell. Pansy and Draco stayed their normal sardonic selves, but she saw them watching her when they thought she wasn’t looking. She also had to consciously keep herself from reaching for Draco’s hand, no matter how much she wanted to. She was afraid if she even hinted at what she was dealing with, or felt his touch, it would pour from her like a torrent till every secret and lie was laid bare. And if she was being honest, they were the only ones keeping her sane.

_Just a little more time. I promise I’ll tell you everything. Deal with every consequence. Just give me this._

Figuring out the map continued to elude her. She must have tried to enchant it more times than she could count, but the spell never filled the page, and no dots or banners appeared.

To distract her from that failure, she instead focused on what she could do, spending as much time in the library as she could. She studied every spell she could think of, practicing wand movements in her bed late at night, the canopy closed tight against outsiders. Every flick of her wrist filled with the desperate fear that she wasn’t doing enough, wasn’t learning enough, that all she was doing was wasting time –

The night before the task was clear and warm. Feigning a headache, she went up to her bed, pulling out her journal, going through all of her notes. She regarded her maze map again, fingering the edges. _You have to give up on this, Ari_ , she thought to herself.

 _Wait –_ maybe if she worked within the parameters of what she could do, either changing it to make it smaller in some way, or only focusing on a section that would be the most helpful, she could still use it. But that would mean having to sneak past her friends to get to the Room of Requirement. She considered her options, realizing this might be her only chance. Glancing down the top of the stairs, she could see them in their usual corner, both talking softly to one another, faces serious. Using the shadows as a shield, she made her way down the stairs towards the door, trying to look as though she was supposed to be there.

They kept talking, never looking her way. Ari even detected a brief smirk on Pansy’s face. Breathing a quick sigh of relief, she hastily made her way through the castle, up several flights of stairs to the seventh floor. She had to be fast if she was going to make there, make her new map, and be back before curfew.

Arriving at the tapestry, she rapidly paced in front of the blank wall, “I need a place to make a map of Hogwarts – I need a place to make a map of Hogwarts – I need a place to make a map of Hogwarts –”

She watched, entranced, as the stonework gave way to the door. She grasped the handle, turning her wrist to begin opening the door –

A hand slammed down to her immediate right, fingers splayed. Her eyes grew wide as the sound reverberated through the quiet hallway. “Just what do you think you’re playing at?” a voice angrily whispered in her ear. She would know that voice anywhere –

She spun around to find enormous blue-grey eyes staring at hers, just inches from her face.

“ _Draco_ –”

His hand was still planted to the left of her head, the edges of his fingertips red from the force. He was so close she could clearly see the tumult of anger, frustration, and intensity on his face, “You didn’t think I wouldn’t notice you’ve been avoiding me these past few weeks – how much you’ve changed – that you’re clearly doing something with Cedric Diggory –”

 _It was him in the library_ – “I can – I can explain –”

“What even is this fucking place? How did you know about it?”

She pressed her hands into the wood of the door, surprised to feel cold stonework instead. “It’s –”

His eyes bore holes into hers, refusing to break contact, “What is happening to you, Astoria?” 

“ – _My name’s not Astoria_!”

She clamped her mouth shut, realizing what she had just said. All color drained from her face. _Oh no no no –_

“ _What did you just say_?”

Ari could feel her erratic heartbeats acutely, could time the milliseconds in-between. Every second between them was leading up to this moment. She was sure now. She swallowed harshly, trying to get her bearings, trying to come up with the words to finally explain, “My – my name’s not Astoria – It’s Ari –”

“What?” His breathing was shallow against her skin, his eyes turning from anger to disbelief. 

Her whole body felt paralyzed, rooted to the spot, “The – first day I fainted, that was my first day here. I woke up in her body and I don’t know where she is or what’s – what’s happened to her – I don’t know why I was sent here. None of this was supposed to happen – I was – I’m so sorry –”

“You – you just lost your memory –”

“No, I didn’t, Draco. I never had it in the first place and – and everyone assumed –”

His eyes were a maelstrom of grey and blue, at war with one another as he stared down at her. “It’s why I got a new wand – why I was suddenly so different – I couldn’t control it. Somehow, I got some of her memories back, but I’m not – I’m not her – at all –”

“But you are her – you’re _Astoria_ – “

“No, I’m not, Draco. I’m not even fourteen years old, I was nineteen when I came here. None of this is fair to you –”

“Why are you saying all of this?”

“I’m not _her_ , Draco – I want to be so bad. If I was her, then I could –” She stopped, unable to continue.

“You could _what_?”

Her next words were barely a whisper, “ _I could be with you_ –”

His dark pupils exploded at her words, as he brought his other hand up to rest on the other side of Ari’s head. He was now completely surrounding her. “You can be with me –”

 _He doesn’t believe me –_ She snapped back, “Did you hear anything of what – what I just said? What I’ve told you this entire time? It doesn’t matter what I want! It doesn’t matter how badly I want you, how much I – I feel about you –”

Her gaze traced down his face, face suddenly filling with longing –

All of the things she wouldn’t let herself see and feel except in brief moments cascaded over her like an oncoming tidal wave. A part of her told her to memorize his face in its entirety, to make sure it was seared into her mind. His silver-blonde hair glinted in the light of the corridor, framing strong, aristocratic cheekbones that gave way to perfect lips and a chiseled jawline. She could smell the soap and aftershave he used, mixed with the intoxicating scent of his skin. And his eyes –

_His eyes are the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen._

As if both guided by deeper parts of themselves, she tilted her chin up towards him just as he brought his down to hers, their lips meeting in the middle, oblivious to everything going on around them. She knew it was wrong. _But how could something so wrong feel so right_? Every nerve ending in her body was on fire, attuning her to this one moment, of the softness of his lips against hers while his tongue ravaged hers, the strength in his body as he pressed into her, his hands memorizing the curves of her body. 

They started with her head and neck, before winding their way downwards, briefly caressing her shoulders and upper arms. She brought her arms up his sides, snaking them over his shoulders and pulling him to her till she no longer had to stand on her tiptoes to reach him. She felt the muscular planes of his back with her fingertips, the deep groan in the back of his throat at her touch. His hands continued to travel, reaching her ribcage, gripping her hips, then slowly made their way around her butt, squeezing as she moaned hard into his mouth. He lifted her up to his height as she wound her legs around him, using the wall behind them as a secondary support. They melded into one another, a mass of hands and lips and intense, unrelenting yearning.

She gasped for air, realizing she had forgotten to breathe. He took the moment to begin trailing kisses down the side of her jaw and neck, using his teeth and tongue to bite and tease at her skin. He nipped at her earlobe then kissed _that_ spot at the hollow of her jaw, grinning as she moaned again –

The sound of footsteps from the stairwell brought them both back to reality. They broke apart, eyes unclouding with hazy desire as the footfalls became closer and closer –

Ari quickly mumbled, “I need a room to make a map of Hogwarts, I need a room to make a map of Hogwarts, I need a room to make a map of Hogwarts”, sensing the wall change against her back. She wrenched the door open with her hand, before pulling herself and Draco into the room and shutting the door in one fluid motion.

“What – what is this room?” he asked, looking around, voice still husky and breathless, “How did it appear like that?”

“It’s the Room of Requirement –” she responded softly, “It appears when you ask for it.”

“How did _you_ find out about it?”

At this point, she knew she had to be honest. She pulled her hand through her hair roughly, “I – I have known about this room for a long time. This is where I was when – when I went missing that morning.”

The anger in his eyes roared back to life, “Why couldn’t you tell me about that then? You know I would have helped you – You never tell me what’s happening –”

“Draco –”

“ _No_. I’ve had to watch you keep things from me, things that you’ll happily show fucking Cedric Diggory when given the chance –”

She could feel her blood pressure rising, “How can you do this? How can you go from kissing me like _that_ to accusing me of doing something with another man!” she roared back.

He disregarded her, voice continuing to rise, “So that thing you showed him in the library was nothing, then? And when you said you had a dream about him, that was nothing too?”

“Stop spying on me!”

“I would if you would stop giving me reasons to!”  
  
She angrily ripped open her journal, shoving the maps in his hands, “This! This is what I’m working on! You wouldn’t listen to me when I tried to tell you who I was, how could you believe me with this –”

“ _Try me_ –”

She brought them to life, showing him the Great Hall, where Filch’s dot was roaming with Mrs. Norris, “They’re maps, okay! They – they track people’s movements on them. Cedric found the incantation for me.”

He stared down at them, eyes widening in muted shock, “How did you – why would you need this? Why would you ask for _his_ help?”

 _Oh my god._ “Draco, you have to stop. He’s in sixth year, he knows so much more than either of us.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t trust me –”

Ari sadly shook her head at him, “This is so far beyond that. it’s not fair to you and – I don’t want you to get hurt –”

“For fuck’s sake, Astoria! Just tell me what’s going on,” Placing the map on the drafting table, he grabbed her shoulders, fixing her with a penetrating stare, “ _Please_.”

“I –” she buried her face in her hands, breathing deeply for a few seconds before meeting his eyes once again, “I know things – about the future. And tomorrow – during the third task, something is going to go terribly wrong, and I have to stop it before – _before_ –” her voice stopped as Ari was haunted by visions of Cedric lying there, cold and lifeless, “– _It’s why I told Cedric not to touch the wizard cup_ ,“ she finished, voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes looked frantic, caught between incredulity and fear for her, “What – what do you mean?”

“Tomorrow – tomorrow Voldemort is going to come back–”

“ _What?!_ ”

“They’re going to bewitch the wizard’s cup as a portkey, and Harry and Cedric are – going to get taken to him – and if I don’t stop it, Cedric is going to – _die_ ,” the terror in her voice creeping in with every word.

His hands moved from her shoulders to her trembling hands, holding them close to his chest, “There’s – there’s no way you could know that – It’s just your curse, it’s making you think these things –”

 _No, Draco._ Her voice was soft, trying to convince him, “It’s not. Just think about it – what was I researching before the first task?”

“Dragons – but –”

“Exactly. And the second?”

“ _Gillyweed_ …” His brow furrowed.

“And what if I were to tell you that when I was sitting with Cedric in the library, I was giving him hints about the final challenge?

His face darkened at the mention of his name, “And those would be?”

“There’s going to be a blast-ended skrewt – and an acromantula –” she shuddered, coming to the realization she would be meeting both tomorrow.

“But – but why did you make the maps?”

Watching his narrowing expression, she pointed to the Hogwarts diorama of the maze before pulling out the last map and handing it to him, “I was planning to make this, because I was going to – go inside of the ma–”

He cut her off, “ _No_. How could you think of doing something so dangerous? Astoria, _you_ could die.”

 _It’s the only –_ “You think I don’t know that? I know it sounds insane, but there’s no other way that I could think of –”

“How about not going, for starters?” His voice was starting to rise again, hands still clutching at Ari like she might try to bolt at any minute.

“And let Cedric die and Voldemort come back –”

“You don’t even know if that’s going to happen!”

“Draco, I don’t care if you don’t believe me, but it will. And if I don’t do something, two people I care about will die,” she stated gravely, ignoring the dangerous glint in his eyes, “Or be irreparably hurt. I’m going whether you like it or not.”

“And if I tell Snape or my parents?”

“I will never speak to you again.”

He watched her warily, mouth opening and closing several times as he tried to formulate a response, eyes roving over her face. They turned steely, as if he was coming to a decision, “I’m coming with you, then.”

 _“What_?” Ari’s eyes were as wide as saucers as she searched his eyes, “Wait -- you – but – why?”

“It’s the only way I can protect you.”

“You can’t be serious –”

“This is quite possibly the stupidest idea I have ever heard, Astoria. If anything were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself.”

“But – but it’s dangerous –”

“ _Precisely_.”

 _You – you –_ “Oh, for fuck’s sake – _Fine_.”

Draco finally lightened his grip on her hands. She glared at him, seeing a hint of a smirk on his face. She looked down at the map on the table, sighing in exasperation, “I couldn’t get this one to work. I got the other ones to, I don’t know why –”

“What’s the incantation?”

“Homunculi.”

He moved towards it, Ari understanding his intentions, “There’s no special movements, either, you just press your wand to the parchment.”

He whispered “Homunculi,” watching as the blue tinged light dispersed through about three-quarters of the paper.

“It did the same for me,” she said faintly, “It’s probably too much for one person, or at least, someone at our skill level. I was thinking of making a smaller one. That’s actually why I was coming up here tonight.”

His eyes flicked onto hers, “We could always try to do it together, you know.”

 _Oh!_ “That’s brilliant, Draco!”

A small smile graced his face, lightening his features. Ari’s heart banged in her chest, her cheeks beginning to glow a bright pink. They moved to stand on either side of one another, wands touching the center of the parchment. Staring into each other’s eyes, their lips began to move at the same time. “Homunculi –”

Out of the bottom of her vision, she saw two bright bursts of blue light. She glanced downwards, look turning to astonishment as the as radiating patterns of lights curved and rippled around one another, as if delighting in each other’s presence before finally coalescing into one. Fanning out towards the edges of the parchment, the whole map faintly glowed an ethereal, incandescent blue for a few moments. Ari brought her gaze back up to Draco, whose eyes had never left her face.

“That was –”

“– Beautiful,” she finished for him, awestruck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeek y'all! Again, one of my favorite things I've ever written. I hope you guys like it too. 
> 
> The next chapter releases are going to be janky. I'm not fully sure how I'm going to do it. The next week will probably be a regular release (Thursday/Sunday) but after that I will probably release more closely together because the way they're written they're supposed to be read together. You'll see when you get there.
> 
> Also, there are a bunch of questions about Ari that I haven't answered yet, and you can probably see that we're getting pretty close to the end. And that's because I am continuing the series! I hope that's good news :) These characters have completely overtaken my brain in a way I never thought possible. When I started this, it was mainly an exercise to see if I could actually write a story like this, but then it became a lot more to me. Interacting with all of you has been incredible as well, the fact that people actually like it and have connected with it is mind-blowing to me. Thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart. <3


	30. The Maze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's here y'all.

Walking up to her dorm, Ari found Pansy in her bed, a small book in her lap. “Glad to see you’re alive,” she wryly said, eyes flicking up from her page to Ari.

“I – I know. I’m sorry.”

Ari hesitantly approached, seating herself at the edge of her bed. Pansy sighed deeply, laying the book off to the side, “Astoria, you can talk to me about _anything_ , okay? In fact, I think you owe me several explanations at this point.”

“I’ve been a terrible friend to you recently, haven’t I? I promise I’ll explain tomorrow. _Everything_. I just don’t think I can handle that conversation tonight with –” she stopped herself for a moment, realizing, “Pansy – about tomorrow – Draco and I –” _There’s so much, how do I even begin?_

“I have an idea of what you’re up to. Please don’t confirm it. I’ll make up an excuse that you fainted or something and Draco is taking care of you. Just come back safe, okay?”

“We’ll try.”

She smiled, “Good. Now you’re sleeping here tonight. That way I know you won’t sneak off in the middle of the night.”

Ari grinned at her, finding herself being crushed in a bruising hug. “I don’t deserve you; you know that?”

“Merlin, do I –” Pansy responded, smirking into Ari’s shoulder.

\-----

The day of the Third Task passed by at an interminably, painfully slow pace, Ari’s knee jiggling so hard she wondered if others around her could feel it. She had initially wanted to leave right before dinner, assuming that that would give her enough time to get through the maze far earlier than the champions made their way there, but still after Moody had placed the portkey. But now, with Draco going it had thrown an unforeseen wrench into her strategy.

If they both left at the same time, it would be noticeable enough to warrant attention. What they ended up deciding on was leaving at different points at dinner, before meeting up at the exit closest to the quidditch pitch. This gave her a far shorter window to get there before the champions, ratcheting up her anxiety tenfold. Finding it almost impossible to eat much of anything, Ari exited the Great Hall first, receiving an intense hand squeeze and knowing glance from Pansy. Draco’s eyes followed her out the door.

She waited for around for what felt like an eternity, winding down the time by watching the map. Her pulse quickened, seeing a small dot and accompanying banner for _Barty Crouch_ zigzagging its way through the labyrinth. Swearing under her breath, she counted down the seconds till she finally saw a flash of blond hair saunter through the doorway.

Unceremoniously shoving the map in his hands, she began, “There’s something else I need to explain to you very quickly. On the map you’ll see Barty Crouch. That’s actually Barty Crouch Jr. who supposedly died in Azkaban. He’s been masquerading as Moody using Polyjuice potion to bring Harry to Voldemort. I don’t care if you believe me or not, all I care about is that we stay as far away from this dot as possible because I absolutely believe he will try to kill us.”

He watched the dot winding around the twisting hedges, eyes becoming narrow slits, “Actually, out of all the insane things I’ve heard come out of your mouth over the past day, this sounds the most plausible.”

“Oh really? And why is that?” she asked, fixing him with an annoyed glower.

“We saw him coming out of the potions stores, for starters. For another, it makes a whole lot more sense why he turned me into a ferret –”

The fog around why _EF_ treated Draco the way he did suddenly lifted. “ _Ah_ , yeah, he would hate that you came from a family that betrayed Voldemort, wouldn’t he?”

He nodded decisively before continuing, “In any event, you don’t have to tell me twice. Go over the plan with me again, okay?”

They talked in hushed tones as they hurried towards the maze, carefully watching the map for anyone else.

\-----

They both stared up at the maze’s hedges, which were so tall it looked more like an imposing green wall than shrubbery, the shadow casting a stark line on the ground below. Ari was the first to speak, “This – this is a lot bigger than I imagined –”

“And we _really_ have to do this?”

“ _Yes_ , Draco.”

He grabbed her hand, their gaze turning towards one another. The solid weight of his palm helped soothe her ragged and frayed sense of confidence in what they were about to undertake. “Thank you for being here with me,” she said softly as she intertwined their fingers together.

“I’ll be furious with you when this is all over.”

“I – I know.”

They moved towards one another, Ari intuitively wrapping her free arm around him for a brief moment. His voice, far gentler this time, murmured in her ear, “I’d be even more furious if I wasn’t with you.”

She smiled, “I know that too.”

Reaching towards him, she placed one gentle kiss on his lips. His hand reached up to grasp her chin, as he brought her lips back to his with a desperate, almost frantic intensity. When he pulled away, Ari saw the storm in his eyes swirl as his breath came in short, shuddering gasps. Giving his hand a quick squeeze, they cautiously walked into the maze together, hand in hand.

The first thing Ari noticed was how completely devoid of sound it was. No birds chirped; there was no sound of rustling leaves or wind. It was completely, eerily quiet. The maze stretched before them, a slight layer of mist obscuring its path, giving everything a dreamlike quality that only heightened Ari’s nerves. Draco instinctively pulled out his wand as Ari did the same, Ari lighting their path while Draco guarded for monsters. By this point, _EF_ was exiting the maze at a different entrance, most likely heading towards the Great Hall. Hoping his magical eye wasn’t on alert for possible interlopers, they silently made their way forward.

They came to their first fork in the maze, deciding to turn right. He nodded briefly as they turned, following the maze as it twisted around a sharp corner, straight into what looked to be a small opening, the mist distorting the distance. Draco shot out his arm in front of Ari. All at once, giant, black scaly feet appeared as a blast-ended skrewt aggressively charged toward them from midair. Looking like a hellish science experiment, its terrifying ten feet length was supported by eight spindly legs, stinger poised over its back.

“Impedimenta!” Ari yelled, seeing it hit the skrewt’s side and bounce off towards a hedge, just a few inches from where it would be effective –

“Its – its abdomen!” Ari shouted to Draco, “You have to aim –”

The skrewt spewed fire from its tail, causing them to both duck as the blast missed their heads by what felt like inches. Now mere feet away from them, the skrewt lurched forward, readying its stinger –

“Confringo!” Draco roared as a jet of white light shot out from his wand, hitting the underside of his belly. The skrewt reared back in pain as part of it burst apart on impact, before spasming and curling into a ball.

They immediately turned to face one another, Draco’s face pale and haggard, eyes massive. Ari’s adrenaline was so intense her stomach felt like she was doing somersaults. “You okay?” they asked each other at the same time. Ari self-consciously smiled, seeing it being mirrored back to her. Draco wound his hand through her hair, fingertips brushing her cheek, while his other hand kneaded Ari’s waist, trying to bring his breathing back to a normal rhythm. “I can’t believe you were going to do this on your own.”

Ari grinned mischievously at him before looking at the skrewt, which had been reduced to a burnt husk. “You didn’t have to blast it to death either, you know –”

“I’ve been wanting to do it for months. Can’t believe that half-giant made us take care of the disgusting things –”

Ari rolled her eyes at him as they quickly darted around it, their hands still automatically reaching for each other. Draco pulled her forward, holding onto Ari’s hand so tightly the tips of her fingers began to sting. “Draco – my hand – you’re –”

“Oh? _Oh._ Sorry,” he said sheepishly.

He released her grip as Ari squeezed her hand together several times, letting the blood flow come back to her fingers, then brought it back to his. Draco’s tense expression lightened slightly at her touch. He smirked, “Well, you were right about the skrewt – what’s next?”

“I’m thinking either a boggart or a sphinx.”

They quickened their pace, hastily winding their way through the maze. They made several quick turns, Draco leading with Ari acting as navigator. They rounded another sharp turn, Ari focused on the map. Draco stopped suddenly, eyes fixed ahead of him. A giant white ferret with glowing red eyes watched them approach, canines uncannily large. Its face began to warp, becoming distinctly more snake-like and humanoid. It moved towards them, walking on its back legs as its paws grew blackened fingernails. Draco raised his wand, eyes clouded with panic and revulsion –

“Riddikulus!” Ari shouted just in time, seeing the spell make contact with a loud crack, the boggart exploding into a puff of smoke. She went back to Draco, whose shoulders were shaking slightly. He looked away, unwilling to meet Ari’s gaze.

“Hey – hey – come back to me,” she whispered to him, pushing his chin till his eyes focused on hers. Wrapping her arms around him, she whispered into his neck, “It’s okay –”

“I’m so stupid, you just told me –”

Ari understood what he was truly upset about, “Ferrets can be pretty terrifying, especially that one –”

He whispered to himself, “Last year it was hippogriffs, what will it be a next year? A fucking bumblebee?”

 _Oh love._ Her hand rubbed his back soothingly, “It’s no wonder with what happened to you. I don’t think any less of you, okay?” 

He nodded into Ari’s hair. He took a few moments to breathe deeply, his head falling into the curve of Ari’s shoulder. “Father wanted to have Moody sacked, but the Ministry and Dumbledore wouldn’t allow it. But wait,” his tone turning contemplative, “What was it changing to?”

“My worst fear, too,” Ari faintly replied back.

“Was it a snake? I thought it would be a ghost –” Ari felt his lips curve into a smile against her neck.

“Har har,” _you would think that, wouldn’t you_ , “No, that – that was Voldemort, I think,” she said softly, the weight of her words hanging around them like a fine mist.

_His face was even scarier than I thought possible._

“He looked like _that_ –”

His musings were stopped by the sound of a far-off whistle. She broke apart from Draco, immediately pulling out the map. Four dots were entering at various points of the maze, with several pacing the perimeter, _Barty Crouch_ on the side they had entered through. _Shit –_

She met Draco’s knowing eyes, “Draco, we – we have to hurry –”

They sped through the twisting hedges, left – right – right – straight – left –

A high-pitched scream could be heard in the distance, echoing through the fog. Draco’s grip tightened reflexively on Ari’s hand, “It’s Fleur,” she wheezed to him as she caught her breath. She pointed out Fleur’s now stationery dot, both watching as Crouch fled the scene, heading straight towards the area where the skrewt had been killed, dot moving faster, stopping suddenly, “He found the skrewt,” she whispered to him, “I think he knows something is off.”

They were so close to the center, if they could just make it in time. They turned a corner and ran down a long, straight hedge that curved around the center square, two more turns and they would be there - 

A giant lion blocked their path, with the head of a woman. Her massive paws paced the ground, tail swishing near the ground. She shrewdly watched them approach but showed no signs of aggression or attack. Draco raised his wand. Ari’s hand clenched over his, bringing it down to his side.

“I’m surprised to see two of you working together – and so fast too. You are very near to your goal –” her voice was surprisingly melodious, but still deep and powerful, “If you can answer this riddle, I will let you pass.”

Ari voice shook as she responded, “We’re – we’re not here as champions or to win. I promise. Something else is happening, something malevolent. We’re running out of time, please –”

Her head cocked to the side, considering, then her almond-shaped eyes met Ari’s, “I cannot move unless you answer.”

“Then give us the bloody riddle,” Draco spat out, frustration overtaking his features.

Ari detected a hint of amusement in the sphinx’s gaze, before she began,

> _“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,  
>  _ _Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.  
>  _ _It lies behind stars and under hills,  
>  _ _And empty holes it fills.  
>  _ _It comes first and follows after,  
>  _ _Ends life, kills laughter.”_

Draco melodramatically sighed, “Well that’s impossible, Astoria we’re better off going another way –”

“No, let’s try to think it through. It’s definitely abstract, right? It can’t be seen, felt, or heard, so like, air, maybe?” turning toward the sphinx she asked, “What are the next two lines?”

> “ _It lies behind stars and under hills,  
>  __And empty holes it fills.”_

“Definitely air, but lies behind stars and under hills? That seems too simple –”

“Aren’t riddles supposed to be simple?”

Ari ignored him, “Air doesn’t end life, does it?”

“Almost as if it’s –” Draco’s eyes grew round, “I think I have it! It’s darkness, isn’t it?”

The sphinx smiled triumphantly at them, then moved off to the side. 

“You did it!” Ari catapulted herself onto Draco, wrapping her arms and legs around him. He yelped in surprise as she planted a kiss on his cheek, feeling his arms make their way around her middle, the heat from his cheeks and neck diffusing into her skin. Hearing a small chuckle, she saw the sphinx watching them, her smile turning into a slight grin.

She came to her senses, quickly breaking apart from him as she grabbed his hand and pulling him forward. On their exit, Ari called out a thank you to the grinning sphinx. Draco followed willingly, still too dazed to fully comprehend what was happening. “Okay, all we have is an acromantula –”

“ _What_?” her words bringing him back to the present.

“I told you this –”

“It’s not as though I believed you, though –”

“It’s going to drop down, we have to hit it with a spell at the same time, what do you think? Should it be stupefy? I should also mention I’m slightly scared of spiders.”

“You and me both,” Draco agreed, looking slightly horrified, “Stupefy works. Just follow my lead, okay?” he asked, intertwining their fingers, “I’ll protect you.”

She blushed, looking down at the map. Cedric looked lost, running along the same stretch of maze several times, and Harry was stopped, making little darting movements. _Was it the other skrewt_? Ari wondered. Crouch’s dot was further off, presumably clearing a potential path for Harry. He seemed to be walking in a roundabout path towards the center of the map. Ari shivered in the warm May air, trading the map for her wand as she quickened their pace.

All of a sudden, the narrow hedges led to a massive open space, the center a raised platform upon which the Triwizard Cup shone, polished to a brilliant sheen. Ari kept her eyes peeled for the acromantula, hoping they would see it before it entered their path –

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw a large shadow scale down the hedge. “ _Draco_!”

They skidded to a halt as the hulking figure effortlessly jumped between them and the Triwizard Cup. Easily as big as a minivan, its eight eyes watched them both, pincers clicking menacingly. Everything revolting about normal spiders was multiplied tenfold. Covered in thick black hair with spindly legs as tall as Ari’s shoulders, it began to bare down on them, Ari’s insides turning to jelly.

“Locomoter Wibbly!” Ari yelled, a stream of light hitting the spider’s abdomen. Some of its legs collapsed, which only seemed to aggravate it more, dragging them as it skittered towards them. Ari and Draco dove to opposite sides of the spider, Ari ungracefully somersaulting head over feet, wand getting knocked from her hand. The acromantula turned towards her, still without full coordination. The clicking from its pincers grew louder as it scuttled closer towards her, Ari dragged herself backwards, trying to find her wand. Terror flooded her veins, her eyes seeing nothing but eight beady black eyes –

_Where the fuck is it –_

“Expulso!” the ground near the spider detonated in a blast of dirt and grass, disorienting the spider as it was blown back, losing its center of gravity. Ari’s hand finally clenched around a piece of wood. Hoping with every fiber of her being it was her wand, she flung her arm out, shouting “Stupefy!” in tandem with Draco. A jet of green light burst from her hand. The spells made contact with the spider’s body at the same time as it fell on its side, pincers finally silent.

Draco sprinted over to her, pulling her to her feet. Crushing her into his chest, he buried his head in her hair, taking several gasping breaths, “Fuck, that was scary –”

Ari inhaled and exhaled deeply, allowing herself to breathe in for the first time in what felt like minutes, “Thank you for being here, I don’t think I could have –”

“Oh, I know. I’ll be collecting payment soon enough,” his eyes taking on a sly glint, “But later. You have a cup to steal.”

“Draco – we – we did it –” the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks.

“ _We did_ –” pulling her close to him for a bruising kiss that left Ari with wobbly knees.

They walked up to the dais together, regarding the cup in silence for a moment. Ari took a few shuddering breaths, still in shock at everything they had accomplished, before she levitated it carefully in the air. Quickly determining an exit strategy that would take them away from the paths of Harry, Cedric, and _EF_ , they started to make their way through the remainder of the maze.

Their eyes kept flicking towards the map. Fleur’s dot had completely disappeared, and Cedric’s and Harry’s were circling around Krum’s, who had completely stopped moving. Trying to remember the storyline, Ari figured that gave them, give or take about ten to fifteen minutes to find their way out of the maze, hopefully no one the wiser. Her eyes spied Crouch’s location, which was suddenly just above the center of the maze, near to the sphinx’s general location –

“ _Fuck_ – Draco. We have to go. It’s Crouch, I think he’s going to find the cup is missing –”

It was starting to get darker outside, the mist looking far thicker and more sinister. He grabbed her hand as they rushed forward, wand still at the ready for any potential monsters they could encounter. They made several twisting turns, Ari’s eyes locked on the map. He was getting closer and closer, his magical eye knowing that something was amiss. All of a sudden, he was in the center, dot quickly running up to the raised platform. “– He’s – he’s found it’s gone –”

He quickly circled the dais, coming to stop at the area near to where they fought the acromantula. _He has to know._ His dot paced back and forth, then made a quick lap around rectangular center. Stopping directly in front of entryway they had chosen, Ari swore she could feel his eye watching them, before he suddenly turned around, heading back towards the raised platform. His dot stayed there, even as Cedric and Harry narrowed in.

_What is he doing?_

“It’s really foggy, Astoria, we have to be careful –”

 _Wait –_ Ari looked up, seeing they were surrounded. “No – Draco – wait! The fog!”

But it was too late. She felt themselves begin to lose their sense of gravity as they were suddenly turned upside-down, hair standing on end. Draco unconsciously grabbed the cup as it flipped, Ari’s eyes growing huge –

She had no time to decide – her hand shot out, fist curling around the handle. As soon as she made contact, they were falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The riddle I used is from JRR Tolkein's [The Hobbit, There and Back Again](http://tolkien.cro.net/talesong/riddles.html) :)
> 
> There's a lot I want to say but I figure it will be best to talk after next chapter. What I can say is that I am not sure if I do the action justice, but hopefully you get the gist. 
> 
> I'm horrendous about having to wait for anything, so I'm thinking it might come out Saturday rather than Sunday. We shall see :D


	31. The Graveyard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I kept a lot of the dialogue the same because it was very powerfully executed, and probably written far better than I could ever attempt to change. As such, I’ve cited most direct quotes.

_Fuck –_

Ari landed on top of Draco in an unceremonious heap, Draco grunting at her fall. Facing a wave of intense queasiness, she pulled herself off of him, trying not to vomit in the process. _Did they see us –_

“Whe –”

The sound of his voice rang out in the silence, filling Ari with an all-encompassing dread. She clapped her hand over Draco’s mouth as she looked around. It was so dark the gravestones rose around them like hulking dark shapes, their faded stone almost unreadable. She could feel his warm breath against her palm, making a soft panting sound. Her ears strained to hear beyond that, the oncoming footsteps that would signify their doom –

She heard nothing. Her eyes seized on Draco’s in the darkness, every brain cell shouting at him to be quiet as she cautiously removed her hand. He glared at her, expecting an explanation. Instead, she pushed herself up slightly using her arms, trying to get a better idea of what part of the graveyard they were in. Her eyes became more accustomed to the darkness, it appeared they were towards the outskirts; on the opposite side of a yew tree, flanked by a row of long forgotten tombstones, several broken. She could see the outline of an old house and church in the distance, but it was difficult to see any distinguishing features. The cup had rolled into tall and overgrown grass, one of its handles barely poking out as it glinted in the moonlight.

A muffled shuffling sound could be heard making its way through the headstones. Ari dropped to her stomach, shoving her hand into Draco’s back to keep him down. She could hear them getting closer, each step corresponding to the thudding in her heart, echoing in her head. It seemed to be looking for something in the opposite row of headstones. _Did they hear the noise and think it was Harry?_

_Please be enough distance –_

She stayed completely still in the darkness, keeping her hand on Draco’s back, till the footsteps slowly receded. Then and only then did she cautiously pop her head up, then painstakingly peeked over a headstone, seeing a retreating figure heading deeper in the gloom. She waited till the she could no longer see his figure at all. Motioning Draco up, keeping her index finger to her lips, she signaled for him to stealthily follow her to the far side of the yew tree, taking care to make as little noise as possible.

The second they made it to the tree, both peering around its massive trunk, the figure reappeared, heading straight down the plots they had fallen onto. She could see his hideous, rodent-like, pockmarked face in greater relief, features contorted from years of fear. _Wormtail._ Wearing a cloak, he paced up and down the rows of gravestones, waiting for his prey to arrive. The reality of the situation hit Ari with such an intensity her knees almost gave out.

_We have to get out of here –_

Draco was perceptive enough to see Ari’s concern and was staying quiet, but she could sense his growing irritation at not being able to talk. She spied the cup’s handle. If they just get there as Wormtail was at the opposite end of the graveyard, facing away from them. She tried to bide her time as her heart continued pounding.

_Thump – thump – thump – thump –_

Ari heard a crashing noise from the center of the graveyard.

_No –_

Her eyes strained in the darkness, seeing a flash of red standing unsteadily as the cup hit a nearby gravestone, clanging to a stop.

_Please, no –_

For a second, there was no sound, just the blood pounding in both of her ears. _How?_ Her hand clutched at the tree, blindly looking for purchase. _We took the cup. We got it away from Crouch – we –_

She suddenly remembered Crouch standing near the platform, not moving. _He was – he was making a new one – wasn’t he?_ All of her thoughts were replaced by one. _I couldn’t stop it._

She felt a small squeeze, saw that Draco was holding her hand, regarding her massive eyes, looking completely disoriented. Her eyes belied her panic before she tore them back to the center of the graveyard –

It was still silent. She searched the darkness. _Where is Cedric? He wasn’t –_ She saw the figure begin moving toward Harry, carrying a bundle in his arms. She saw it move slightly, the nausea in the pit of her stomach lurching –

_Oh no no no no. I have to do something – I have to –_

The biggest snake Ari had ever seen slithered at Wormtail’s feet, forked tongue tasting the air. She knew it was Nagini immediately _._ It flicked its tongue several times in multiple directions, first towards Harry, and then towards the tree, its heading cocking slightly to the side. Draco’s grip on her hand tightened.

_Can it sense us?_

Harry grabbed his head, slowly sinking to the ground as he cried out in pain. It was an anguished sound, that reverberated softly through the graveyard. Ari felt within every bone and muscle as she desperately tried to think of what she could do, her free hand reaching for her wand. Wormtail gently set down the bundle, then slowly walked towards Harry, pulling him towards the largest headstone. Nagini zigzagged in the overgrown grass, tongue still flicking through the air, as it slowly made its way closer –

Harry, completely incapacitated, gasped out, “You!” as he was bound to the gravestone, before a large cauldron was hauled to his feet. The liquid in the cauldron made a popping noise as it bubbled. Wormtail shuffled back to his bundle, pulling it open.

_No –_

A baby with a horrible, disfigured adult face was revealed. Its eyes were blood red, catching the light of the cauldron, as if they themselves were on fire, face missing a nose. The revulsion and disgust hit Ari in waves, she had to fight from vomiting. Harry was feebly trying to break free, crying out in pain. Draco’s hand on Ari’s was squeezing so hard she wondered if her hand might break, face white as a sheet. They were both frozen, trapped between what was happening to Harry and Nagini, who continued its traversal of the graveyard, starting to go faster now, Ari was sure she could smell them –

> “Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!”

Draco’s hand brought out his wand, arm reaching out. She brought out her arm to match his, nodding at the same time, knowing if they attacked Nagini they would be discovered. His eyes were so big in the darkness, filled with fear –

_This is all my fault –_

> “Flesh of the servant – willingly given – you will revive your master!”

Wormtail screamed in complete agony then staggered back as his severed hand could be seen splashing into the water below, the cauldron turning an intense crimson. Ari would never forget how it sounded. Pain and fear surrounded the graveyard and them, piercing the darkness. Nagini stopped, flicking her tongue towards the cauldron. She gave one last pointed look towards the yew tree, before slithering towards Wormtail, towards her _master_ –

> “Blood of the enemy – forcibly taken – you will – resurrect your foe!”

It was too late. She doubled on herself, trying not to cry out at what she was seeing. Draco was using his free hand against the tree to keep himself upright. Wormtail used his dagger to plunge it into Harry’s arm, drawing back a small vial of blood. He spilled it into the water as it emanated a white mist, sparks flicking off the edges, before the shadow of a man emerged.

_Him._

She had failed. It didn’t matter that Cedric wasn’t with Harry. It didn’t matter that they had made it through the maze. She had completely and utterly failed. Voldemort was back.

She saw his face in the moonlight, his horrifying face burned into her retinas. Even worse than the face of the boggart, his face was a pale grey with intense blood-red eyes. His nose was completely gone, replaced with small slits, lips colorless. She turned towards Draco, watching him stare at him in the moonlight. When he looked at Ari, his eyes black with dread.

_We have to get out of here –_

She moved to dive towards the cup, but was held in place by Draco’s body, which felt as solid as stone. She pleaded at him with her eyes. _Please Draco –_

_We can make it – we have to go – before you see –_

_This will destroy you._

He stayed completely still. Wormtail, now sobbing, held out his undefiled arm for Voldemort, the deep red of his dark-mark stark against the pale underside of his forearm. Voldemort placed one gnarled finger against it, laughing as it turned a jet black.

“How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?” Voldemort asked Wormtail and Harry, angling his hideous face towards the sky. His voice was a rasping, hissing sound that made its way through the graveyard like a creeping fog, malevolence exuding from every vowel and consonant.

Voldemort continued to expound on about his family’s awful legacy, but Ari was unable to tear her eyes from Draco, who stood in absolute shock and terror, on the precipice of knowing if his father would show up. A corner of her heart cracked for him, knowing the answer. His hand was still wrapped in hers, the skin underneath his fingers white, hand shaking with how hard he was squeezing. She stroked his palm, trying to send him every bit of compassion and strength she could muster.

The air was filled with a sudden rustling of air and clothing, as approximately twenty to thirty wizards suddenly appeared all at once, all in white masks and hoods, obscuring their identities. One apparated next to the tree, standing between them and the wizard’s cup. Hidden in the dark of the yew tree, they watched as they all fell to their knees, murmuring “ _Master_ …” in shock.

“Welcome Death Eaters,” he intoned, palms upward in welcome as Harry writhed in the background. The sight made Ari’s skin crawl.

As he hissed about their disloyalty, one of them crawled to him, prostrate before his feet.

“Master! Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!”

With deadened blood red eyes, Voldemort cursed him with the Cruciatus curse, watching as he howled in pain, shaking on the ground. Ari pressed her eyes shut, every new thing she was witnessing assaulting her sanity, sense of being, and reality. In desperation, she found herself trying to reject it, wanting to believe this was a long, unending nightmare that she could wake from.

But it wasn’t.

A molten silver hand materialized out of thin air before connecting it with Wormtail’s wrist, reduced to a whimpering mass on the ground. Wormtail looked at it in reverence, falling to his feet, “Oh my lord…Master – This is beautiful, thank you –” marveling as his new hand crushed a small twig into powder and dust. Knowing what was about to happen, Ari felt the dryness in her throat as if her mouth had suddenly been filled with the twig’s ash, till she could no longer breathe. 

Voldemort turned to the cloaked figure to Wormtail’s right. “ _Lucius_ , my slippery friend –”

Draco stiffened; his eyes fixed to the cloaked figure’s spot. His jaw clenched uncontrollably, the socket creating a hard ball in that was visible against the pale of his cheek. His eyes were solid black. There was no color, no hope, no light. 

> “I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yet you never tried find me, Lucius. Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay…”

He responded quickly, voice silky smooth.

> “My Lord, I was constantly on the alert, had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me –”

Ari’s heart bled for Draco. She wrapped her other hand around their connected ones, watching as Draco’s reality as he knew it shattered into a thousand little pieces. She knew Lucius had repeatedly lied to Draco about the extent of his involvement in the First Wizarding War, perhaps even lied to his wife. She couldn’t imagine the hurt and devastation he was feeling that every lie would be exposed in one sentence.

> “And yet you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer? Yes, I know all about that, Lucius…you have disappointed me. _I expect more faithful service in the future_.”
> 
> “Of course, my lord, you are merciful –”

Ari knew what the cost of that promise would mean. Draco noticed Ari’s eyes on him and turned to look at her. The pain was etched into his face, his eyes, becoming a part of him. He made no attempt to hide it, instead letting it wash over his face as he regarded her. _Oh, Draco, I am so sorry –_

Voldemort moved towards the other death eaters, revealing Crabbe and Goyle’s, along with Theodore Nott’s fathers, before he continued, “There is one who remains my most faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young friend arrived tonight. Please do me the honor of welcoming our guest of honor, Harry Potter,” as he smiled, revealing grey teeth that that were sharp points at the tips.

He touched Harry’s forehead, laughing as Harry screamed out in agony. His laugh was hollow, devoid of any actual mirth, chilling Ari to the depths of her core. He began to pontificate at length about the steps he had taken to get here after the killing curse had rebounded from Harry all those years ago, how he had lived off of mice and rats, and how none of his “family” had come to search for him until Wormtail came sniveling back. Every step he had taken thwarted by Harry Potter, his nemesis. That it was only when they chanced upon Ministry worker Bertha Jorkins that they had learned about the Quidditch Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, putting their plan into action with the help of a devoted follower. _The plan I couldn’t stop._

Ari’s hatred for this man seeped from her pores, perhaps even more than her hatred for _EF_. She hated that he could stand here and drone on about how he was somehow the victim in all of this, even though he had actively sought out the destruction of a _boy_. She hated that he was so deluded to think these people who were so obviously terrified of him would be his family, like some bizarre supremacist death cult mixed with the Third Reich. She hated that it was the wizarding world’s apathy that had allowed him to rise from the ashes, as if he were some horribly disfigured phoenix. Most of all, she hated that Draco would be in the middle of this, caught up in a perfect storm, forced to pay for the sins of his father and family name.

Her hatred even surpassed her fear.

Turning to face Harry, Voldemort’s face contorted in undisguised rage as he yelled “Crucio!” grinning as Harry writhed in pure torture and anguish. Ari’s hand instinctively went for her wand as Wormtail untied Harry and gave him his wand. 

Harry dropped unceremoniously from his bindings; feet shaky on the solid ground. “You have been taught to duel, Harry Potter?” he asked, eyes filled with manic glee, “We bow to each other, Harry. Bow to death, now –”

Many death eaters laughed. The laughter only fueled Ari’s hatred. Harry raised his wand, before being hit with the Cruciatus curse once again. He curled into a ball, body shaking.

Ari had had enough, taking a step forward just as a strong hand wrapped around her stomach, pulling her back. Turning around, she encountered completely terrified eyes. Draco silently begged her not to move, not to be found out. It dawned on her if she fought for Harry, they would find Draco, too; that helping one would betray the other. There wasn’t even a choice. She couldn’t allow that to happen to him.

Ari knew in that moment.

_I love him._

Her mind seized on the thought, the final puzzle piece clicking in place as she also acknowledged the absurdity of her feelings given the situation they found themselves in. She desperately wished she had figured this out under different circumstances. She knew it had been building, perhaps from the moment she met him. He wasn’t perfect, far from it, but he also didn’t have to be so intelligent, so funny, or so attractive. So different from the way he was portrayed. But he was.

She knew it was impossible and doomed to fail. She knew a million other things. What she knew most of all is that she had to get both of them out of the graveyard alive.

Voldemort cursed Harry next with the Imperius curse, asking, “Do you want me to do that again?”

Harry’s face softened as he formed the word for “No”, his mouth hanging on the first consonant, before he sunk his head down. He shouted, “ _I won’t_!” flinging it in Voldemort’s face with all of his might.

He stood there, shaking slightly, still having the presence of mind to glare at Voldemort. “You won’t?” Voldemort asked, voice completely devoid of any emotion except slight curiosity. The chill that emanated from him was palpable. Several death eaters glanced around nervously, meeting the other’s eyes.

He raised his wand, but Harry was too fast, diving towards the headstone as he tried to curse him with Crucio again, narrowly avoiding a falling piece of marble as it cracked off the headstone.

“We are not playing hide and seek, Harry –” Voldemort said to the jeers of the masked death eaters.

It was sheer insanity watching a hideously disfigured grown man taunt a teenage boy, with masked audience members providing commentary, as if they were actors in some bizarre stage play. Ari could no longer see Harry, crouched on the opposite side of the headstone, but she knew at this moment he was accepting his death. She glanced down at the hand still around her middle, heart lurching when she realized Draco was shaking slightly, trying to hold it in, breath coming in little puffs at the nape of her neck. The consequences didn’t feel fully real to Ari, but they were absolutely, frighteningly real for him.

_You can do this, Harry – you can fight –_

_Get up –_

_Fight this piece of shit –_

He stood up, head popping up over the gravestone. He yelled “Expelliarmus!” just as Voldemort screamed, “Avada Kedavra!”

The light that streamed from both wands met in the middle, arcing lights of green and red that turned gold in the center. Both wands were shaking, Harry and Voldemort having to hold the wands with both hands. They both started to levitate into the air. the death eaters and Nagini panicked, moving to follow them.

An untold number of lights began to shoot off of their spells, bathing them both in a swath of golden light. In another context, it would appear almost beautiful. The death eaters were yelling at one another, trying to figure out what to do. “Do nothing!” Voldemort cried, desperately trying to keep control of the situation. As he yelled, he was drowned out by the most ethereally beautiful and haunting song. Harry’s face became more determined, even as his wand began to tremble with greater intensity. He forced one of the shards of light back towards Voldemort’s wand, Voldemort’s eyes becoming a surprised mass of red and black. His wand began to shriek, as if it was in a tremendous amount of pain.

Grey shapes started forming around Harry. _The people Voldemort’s wand killed._ Ari squinted, trying to see if Cedric would appear, confirming her worst suspicions –

It was an old man. Then a woman Ari assumed was Bertha Jorkins, then most incredibly of all, Harry’s parents, each encouraging him, wishing him their love, telling him to fight.

With all of the death eaters turned toward Harry, Ari knew this was their one chance. Blinking back tears, knowing that somehow Cedric was alive, she grabbed Draco’s hand and dove towards the ground, towards the cup. Their hands connected with the handles. She felt the pull of the portkey as their bodies were hurtled forward.

\-----

They fell back towards the earth, ending up on a grassy knoll off to the side of the stands. Ari landed on her back, the wind knocked out on her, Draco on his hands and knees. He began to dry heave, trying to suck in oxygen as his lungs rejected it just as quickly. Ari tried to grab his hand, finding it just out of reach.

_I have to – I have to –_

She forced herself to sit up and forward, bracing herself with her hands, ignoring the rapid onset of dizziness. She stretched her hand over his, as his eyes flicked upwards. She had never seen anything more haunted. He regarded her for a second as he breathed through his nose, his chest rapidly rising and falling. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“I’m so sorry –”

“How long did you know _?!”_ He cried, pulling his hand from hers violently as if he had been stung.

Her breathing became more forced, she felt a weight begin to press on her chest, she tried to reach for him again, “– From – before I came here, but it was never supposed to, you weren’t supposed to see. I was trying to stop it – I’m so sorry for what you saw, Draco–”

“How dare you –”

“Astoria! Draco!” Ari heard a voice as Pansy ran towards them, eyes giant, “Potter just appeared, and there was a big ruckus, I’ve been trying to find you both. Wait _– what happened_?”

Draco was trying to stand, Pansy pulling him up, before his eyes turned back to Ari, now venomous, “How dare you keep this from us! This whole time –”

“I had to, Draco, I didn’t know how else to –”

Pansy placed a hand on Draco’s arm. He shrugged it off forcefully, “You didn’t know how else to tell me my father is still a fucking death eater – that he wants to torture muggles?!” voice winding up to a snarl.

“At first, I – I didn’t know how much you knew. And then, _how could I possibly tell you_?” she asked softly.

He angrily swiped at his face. Ari realized he had started crying, she longed to brush away his tears, try to make it better, “What else happens to me?”

Pansy moved to help Ari up. Ari implored him, “Draco – _please_ – please don’t make me answer that –”

_“Tell me what happens – ”_

The weight was a vise now, clamping down on her chest. _He deserves to know_. Her eyes squeezed shut, “You – you become a death eater, too –” it was as if all the air was sucked from the space between the three of them, Ari’s heartbeat filling her ears with its erratic pounding, “They – they try to force you to kill Dumbledore, but you can’t in the end –”

She took a shuddering breath, feeling tears begin to stream down her face. She looked up, watching as all the color bled out from both of them, till there was nothing left but grey, “I’m so – so sorry. It’s not – it’s not your fault. You can fight it; _we_ can fight it –”

“How do you know all of this?”

“I – I–”

“ _Answer me_!”

“I tried to tell you yesterday!” she took a haggard breath as her eyes refused to stop crying, lungs starting to hyperventilate, “I grew up a – a muggle, Draco – this is a – a story there, and somehow I ended up in Astoria’s body, I don’t know why –”

“ _You_ – you lied to me – lied to us – Made me believe –”

“ _No_ , Draco – I never wanted to lie to you, only when I had to. I had to protect you –”

“ _How could you?!”_

The clamp came down harder and harder, it felt like her ribs might break, “I had to try to save Harry and Cedric. Please, Draco, please listen to me – I can try to fix this – I – I love you –”

He stared at her, his eyes briefly flickering for a second before they went dead, “ _No_. No, you don’t. This is done. I’m done. I can’t believe I ever –” he shook his head, the evening moonlight reflecting one small tear that stained his cheek. Giving one pointed look at Pansy, he walked away, without a backwards glance towards Ari.

The squeezing stopped. Ari heard nothing, not her heart as it stopped beating, breaking for the second time that night, irreparably down the middle. Not her lungs, as she shuddered in and out. She didn’t feel as her legs wavered, losing the strength to stand. All she could see, hear, and feel was him as he rejected her – what she knew, where she came from, who she was, every part of herself.

She found herself on her hands and knees, trying to breathe. Pansy scrunched down, staring at her with her huge, compassion filled eyes. “Oh, Ari – we have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gosh you guys. <3 I just want to say I love y'all. 
> 
> Up to this point, I’ve purposefully left out my intentions in my author’s notes and comments for the most part because I very much think that’s for you to decide and not for me to tell you. What I will say is this – it was not easy for me to write this chapter, and the way it ended up, particularly keeping Cedric alive, is something I did not take lightly. All of that being said, I want to make it very clear that I completely understand if that’s a decision you don’t agree with. These books and characters are incredibly important to us for a wide variety of reasons, and it is not for me to have any input on that whatsoever. 
> 
> Release Notes:  
> I'm still not sure how I'm going to do this. My class schedule this semester is Tuesday/Thursday, so I am thinking it will be Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday, with the final chapter being on Wednesday, January 20th. 
> 
> Did I say how much I adore all of you?


	32. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [I made a spotify playlist when I was writing this, if you want to take a listen and sadly vibe along with this chapter, feel free :) ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ONoxwEVRSP5B4jK9SwnBS?si=joekgpKlR7eJjo_ib1_hig)

“How – how do you know my real name?” Ari asked, finding her speech uncoordinated and slow. She was far past the point of exhaustion, feeling close to delirium.

“Let’s get you inside. We’ll talk there.”

Pansy hauled her up and helped her stand, pulling her arm over her shoulders. Ari, still in shock, allowed Pansy to lead her to the common room, taking her up the stairs and into their dorm. She helped strip Ari of her robes, turning the water to near scalding, then gently led Ari to the shower. The heat of the water helped wash away some of her intense fatigue, leaving an aching hollowness that surrounded her. She hadn’t realized how dirty she was, small pieces of dirt and other detritus coming from her hair and body, the water turning a murky brown near her feet.

It wasn’t until Pansy came at with her a giant towel that she even realized Pansy was still there, helping her, in spite of everything she had witnessed. “Why – why are you still here?” she asked numbly.

“You’re my best friend, even if I don’t know what to call you anymore,” Pansy responded softly.

“I still can’t believe you know my name. But – but you know what I am, now.”

“I’ve known for a while, Ari,” she said with her trademark smirk, but even she looked drained, the look in her eyes not matching with her expression.

“ _How_?”

“You know how I seem to hear your thoughts? It’s because I _can_ sometimes.”

Ari’s eye’s widened, thinking over the seemingly thousands of times Pansy had responded to her mid-thought, or quipped back something almost immediately. She had assumed her thoughts were obvious. It suddenly made so much sense. All she managed was a soft, “ _Oh_.”

Pansy handed her freshly laundered pajamas to change into before she shuffled to Pansy’s bed, the string of lights tucked into her canopy softly twinkling above. Pansy continued, “It’s not with everyone. Mostly just you and Draco. Sometimes others. Never Fleur, no matter how much I wanted to,” bitterness escaping at her admission. She fixed her giant doe eyes on Ari, pulling her knee to her chest, “So, do you not want to be my friend anymore?”

Ari sputtered, “No! How – how could I?”

 _"Exactly._ Everyone has secrets. So, why would that stop me from wanting to be your friend?”

“Well, I’m kind of everything you can’t stand?”

“Are you trying to argue with me about _my_ feelings?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Well – yes, sort of! None of this is making sense. Shouldn’t you have followed Draco after what – _happened –“_ she pressed her eyes shut, trying not to remember, “Everything I said –”

“What you said was fucking hard to hear. But, none of it was your fault.”

“ _It feels like it is_.”

Pansy wrapped her in a massive hug. Ari felt tears begin to prickle her eyes as she whispered, “I’m so sorry for lying to you all this time, Pansy.”

“I don’t think you really had a choice in the matter,” she murmured. They held each other for a few minutes, Ari marveling that Pansy was here, with her. Comforting her.

She pulled back, looking at Pansy’s face. “Can I ask you something?”

“Only if I can ask questions back.”

Ari smiled softly, “Deal. What was the real Astoria like?”

Pansy’s tone was pensive, “She was really quiet, actually. Very kind, though. And she had fantastic manners. We didn’t know each other all that well, but we were friends.”

“I wonder where she is –” 

“My guess is she’s safe wherever she is,” Pansy responded, smiling encouragingly at Ari, “It’s my turn. What do you really look like?”

Ari smiled back, blushing slightly. “This, actually.”

Pansy’s eyes grew large, “Merlin, you’re kidding.”

“Not at all. It’s the first thing I checked when I came here. I have no idea any of it means. All I know is it’s definitely me, just a few years younger. I was….19 when I came here.”

“Well that certainly answers some questions, like about you and _Jake_.”

“You heard me thinking about him, didn’t you?” Pansy’s smirk was genuine this time. Ari continued, “God that’s embarrassing. All right, it’s my turn. How can you hear other people’s thoughts?”

She frowned, thinking, “Pretty sure it’s something I was born with. At first, I thought this was how everyone was. It’s not all the time, but when you think something really strongly, I can pick up words or phrases. It’s like words appear in my head, except they belong to someone else,” she grinned lopsidedly, “You talk to yourself in the second person a lot, you know.”

Ari laughed self-consciously, “I know. Sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s hilarious. Okay, my turn. What’s the furthest you went with Jake?”

“ _Pansy_! I don’t ask you about your sex life.”

“I know and it’s an absolute travesty.”

Ari rolled her eyes, “Fine. If you tell me, I’ll tell you.”

“Fleur – she was my first time,” she said, voice dropping to a small whisper.

“ _Oh, Pans_ –“

“Don’t pity me. It was great. Prefect’s bath, bubbles everywhere. Moaning Myrtle jealous in the background. It had it all.”

Ari responded, “Somehow I don’t feel like you’re fully joking...” Pansy waggled her eyebrows, giggling, then when Ari did not answer, raised one into a perfect arch, expectantly. “Ugh! Of course, Jake and I slept together.”

“A lot?”

“Why are you doing this to me?! Yes. Okay. We did have sex. It was very steamy. A few times it was literally steamy because we were in the shower. Are you happy?”

“I wonder if Potter is as good…”

“You pick up on way too much, you know that –”

She grinned slyly, “I’ll stop. Actually. Is Draco a better kisser?”

Ari was trying to stop the furious blush building across her features just as the realization hit her. _Not that I’ll ever get to do that again._

“Well that answers _that_. I wonder if that _extends itself_ –”

Ari cut her off, “I hate you. And that’s, well, over now.”

“You love me and you know it. Also, I sincerely doubt that.”

Ari wrinkled her brow, “You saw what –” 

Pansy turned to her, face turning more thoughtful, “Wait – are you okay? Seriously?”

“No, I’m not. And probably won’t be for a long time. But that’s for a lot of reasons. I have to say, you being here is more than I could ever have hoped for.”

“Good. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

Ari leaned into Pansy’s side, Pansy wrapping her arm around her. “You know what that means, right? Regarding your family, and everything? You don’t have to; we can just be friends –”

“I don’t want the Dark Lord back in this world any more than you do. Plus, I can say I have a muggle friend. How exciting!”

“Great,” Ari said expressionlessly as Pansy laughed.

“I want to help you,” Pansy said, looking at her straight in the face. “But that means you have to prepare yourself for the onslaught of questions coming at you.”

“Shoot –”

“First off, how was I depicted? Did they correctly describe my stunning beauty and immense personal charms?”

Ari grinned, “You don’t want to know, Pans –”

They whispered late into the night. Eventually, they finally drifted off to sleep, Pansy curled protectively around Ari.

\-----

Ari dreamed of the three of them together, working on homework and laughing, Draco’s hand never leaving hers. When she woke up, she found small teardrops staining her pillowcase.

\-----

“You should tell Daphne,” Pansy whispered to Ari next morning as they were getting ready.

Ari’s eyes widened involuntarily, “I don’t – That can’t be a good idea –”

“You need to give her more credit. I think she’ll take it better than you think.”

Ari shook her head, biting her lip between her teeth, “But that would mean her sister has been replaced by a stranger, Pans. No one would take that well. Not to mention, she might tell her – well, _our_ parents –”

Pansy’s eyes were resolute, “Just think about it, okay? I’ll be there with you.”

 _It isn’t fair to Daphne, is it?_ She gave Pansy a quick side hug, then turned towards herself in the mirror, extraordinarily unsure what to do.

\-----

The walk to the Great Hall for breakfast was one of mounting anxiety for Ari, causing her stomach to somersault. While she acutely felt the lack of Draco’s presence, she knew that seeing him would be like ripping off a band aid, exposing the wound all over again. She was also not sure how to react to seeing Harry or Cedric. A part of her couldn’t quite believe that Cedric was alive, it seemed so incomprehensible to her that he was still here.

Pansy, probably sensing her thoughts, wound her arm through Ari’s as they walked into the hall, parking herself to Ari’s immediate right on the bench as she tried to distract her.

An owl gracefully dropped off a colorful letter towards Ari’s direction. It was a postcard of Aix-en-Provence, addressed from her parents.

_Astoria and Daphne,_

_Your dad and I are having a fantastic time in Provence. We were with the Breteaus in Gordes for the day who have now asked us if we would want to extend our holiday to spend time with them in the French Riviera. We wanted to ask you both first before responding. We love you so much!_

_Mum and Dad_

Ari passed the postcard to Pansy, who eyes were immediately alight with possibilities. “Oh! Astoria, this is perfect! You and Daphne should come to the country house for the summer. We have a pool –”

“You do?” Ari responded, only half listening. This would only postpone having to introduce herself to them. In addition, Draco was nowhere to be seen. _Is he – I guess it doesn’t matter now, anymore –_

“Yes,” Pansy gave Ari one supportive hand squeeze, smiling at her, “It’ll be so much fun –”

“I heard my name,” Daphne said, sitting across from them, “What’s happening?”

Ari shook herself out of her thoughts, “Mum and Dad want to extend their holiday. Pansy invited us to her house, what do you think?” she smiled at both of them, focusing on the present moment, “You’d have to bring your swimsuit.”

“That sounds fun!” Daphne said almost immediately, flushing slightly, “Well – at least, if I can go out once –”

Ari grinned knowingly, “It’s Justin, isn’t it?”

“Errr – yes…”

Pansy’s eyes were as big as saucers, “Did he ask you out on a date?”

“I’m – I’m not quite sure, actually. We were talking about muggle things, you see, and I said I’d never been a movie theater, and he said he would – _take me_ –” voice dropping to a hopeful whisper.

Ari squealed as Pansy rolled her eyes, saying, “Definitely a date. And not a very smooth one at that...”

“Don’t listen to her, Daph, that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“You really think it’s a date?”

Ari could tell Daphne was trying to keep her cheeks from turning red and was failing abysmally. It only made her cuter. _She does deserve to know, doesn’t she? But how –_

“Yes,” Pansy said to her at once, before adding, “Astoria,” at this Ari looked up, “I think you may need to chaperone. Make sure Justin is on his best behavior.”

Daphne groaned, “Please don’t.”

“We’ll only follow from an appropriate distance,” Pansy responded, a secretive smile on her face.

“So, you’re now joining this chaperone mission?” Ari asked.

“Spying on me, more like,” Daphne grumbled under her breath as Ari and Pansy giggled.

“I’m so excited! Getting to spend summer with you both,” Pansy checked her wristwatch, “We should probably head to Potions. Snape has been in rare form recently.”

Ari popped her head up, looking around. Draco hadn’t shown up to breakfast. _Either he hadn’t eaten at all, or he had come in early? It’s not my problem –_ gut twisting with regret. She turned around, eyes automatically flicking to the Hufflepuff table, simultaneously hopeful and tense that she would see his tall figure –

 _He was there._ Sitting, surrounded by friends, dark blond hair lit by the early morning sunlight streaming through large windows. He must have come in when they were talking. _He’s –_

Her feet moving of their own accord, she walked over to their table. “Hi Cedric –” eyes not quite believing what they were seeing. His friends turned, looking at her, but all she could see was him. Alive. _How did you survive? How are you here? I’m – I’m so –_

“Astoria – hi,” he said softly, regarding her. His grey eyes looked sad, different than she had ever seen them before.

She was so overcome at the sight of him, she almost forgot she was supposed to speak, “I’m so – _so glad_ – you’re okay –” she finished quietly, eyes never leaving his.

“I’m glad you stopped over, too. We should talk later. I have something I wanted to ask you about. I’ll come find you, okay?”

“I can’t wait, Cedric,” her hand flexing against her robes, still in shock.

His friends snickered at her comment, but Ari and Cedric both ignored them, still looking at each other. Ari felt a small hand on her arm. It was Pansy, her eyes soft, “We should go to Potions, Astoria.”

She couldn’t tear her eyes from him as she walked away. _Somehow, he’s here._

Somehow, even though every part of her ached, all of it was worth it.

\-----

Their potions table was empty when they walked in. Ari looked around, blinking, spying silvery blond hair in-between Crabbe and Goyle, turned around purposefully in his chair. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to ignore it as she sat down. Pansy whispered, eyes hard, “I was hoping this wouldn’t happen. What a fucking prat. I’m sorry about this, Ari.”

Ari grabbed Pansy’s hands, looking into her eyes, “Don’t be mad at him, all right? In fact, make sure he’s okay.”

“You sure? He’s being –”

“I’m sure –” Ari interrupted her, watching Pansy sigh.

“Good morning you two,” came a voice Ari wasn’t fully familiar with. She looked up to see a suave, narrow face, with thin features and wide-set brown eyes, “Looks like we’ll be working together. Not sure what happened with Malfoy, but I know I’d vastly prefer working with you lovely ladies than Crabbe and Goyle, though.”

“That’s fine, Theodore,” Pansy said, smirking, “Though that’s not high praise.”

He grinned in response, putting down his books.

“Good morning,” Ari said, observing Theodore Nott with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Something about his tone and mannerisms instantly raised her hackles, made her on edge. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

The rest of the classroom soon filled, and lecture began, Snape droning on ad nauseum about proper safety protocol when handling dangerous potions. Ari’s hands were balled into fists, taking every ounce of her willpower not to turn around. Not to look at _him_. Pansy, without looking down, placed one small hand over her fist, before gently prying it open. _I don’t deserve you. Thank you_.

She watched as Pansy smiled down at her desk. Snape’s monotone voice rose, "Today, we will be brewing Weedosoros. Be very sure to keep this potent poison out of your hands, eyes, and mouth at all stages of the brewing process,” flicking his eyes up to the Gryffindor tables, “If you are idiotic enough to ingest some, immediately head to the Hospital Wing. The rest of us shouldn't have to be bothered with your convulsing."

“What a pleasant potion,” Pansy cheerily said, clapping her hands together, “Who wants to try some first?”

“I’ll take a swig if you will,” Theodore responded, eyes on Pansy.

Ari resisted the urge to roll her eyes, as she very carefully began to divvy up the ingredients.

“Only if we make a death pact first,” Pansy replied, smirking.

 _You can’t be flirting with him._ Pansy’s eyes flicked to hers, filled with delight, then her gaze went back to Theodore, suddenly much softer lidded and heavy. _Oh. My. God._ She could feel Pansy’s glee at her dismay rolling off her in waves.

“What would we swear?” he asked her, voice low.

Ari interjected, “Are we sure this is the right color? Maybe it should be darker –” mentally telling Pansy to please stop whatever this was.

They both paid her no mind. “I’m not sure,” Pansy coyly said, her eyes growing darker, “It’s probably best we wait till late at night to talk about it, though. Death pacts are always better in _dark corners_.”

His eyes were predatory as he watched her. Ari had the sudden impulse to gag. “I think – I should go get more ingredients, we seem to be missing –” she dropped off, knowing neither of them were listening to her.

She ran to the potions cabinet, quickly looking over to their table to see Theodore’s hand brush Pansy’s as she stirred the deep purple liquid.

 _So. Gross._ She looked towards the Gryffindor’s table, Harry’s chair noticeably empty, Hermione and Ron looking like shadows of themselves. Her gaze went downwards, she blinked several times as images of the previous night came at her with an unrelenting force. _His terror-stricken face filled with anguish_. Her hand pressed against the cold glass; she took a couple of gulping breaths, trying to bring herself back to the present moment. _Cedric survived. Draco survived. You survived. Harry –_

Her eyes moved upwards to see his blue-grey eyes on her. They were so dark, so _lifeless_. They kept each other’s gaze for a moment, Ari feeling the echoes of the vise that clamped down on her chest until he pointedly looked away. _He really doesn’t –_ she found her vision blurry as she walked back towards the table, promise to get more ingredients completely forgotten.

\-----

“Miss Greengrass and Mr. Malfoy, may I have a word?” Snape called out at the end of class. Pansy and Ari shared one glance of surprise before she walked to his desk, feet stiff and wooden. _What the fuck is this? Maybe he figured out –_

She stood apart from Draco, trying in vain not to look at him, as her heart began to hit her ribcage. Out of the corner of her vision, she noticed he was standing very still, with his chin jutting out as he stared straight ahead, gaze never straying to hers. His hair was completely slicked back once again.

“As I’m sure you both know, one fifth year girl and boy are chosen to be Prefects. I wanted to tell you far in advance that you both have been chosen for the Slytherin house.” He cleared his throat, Ari found herself wishing she could be anywhere but here, “I trust do not have to explain the importance of this role, or the responsibility. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, sir,” Draco said automatically, voice smooth.

“Thank you, Professor,” Ari added softly, envisioning herself adrift in a small life raft, wondering when she would finally sink.

Draco immediately strode out, leaving Ari alone. It was like they had never known each other. As if nothing had happened.

_Fuck me._

\-----

Pansy blinked, looking disoriented, “ _Prefect_? With Draco?”

Ari groaned, her head in her hands. “I know. Maybe I should say no –”

Her eyes narrowed, “I don’t know if you can.”

“You’re kidding, right? I can’t claim a medical issue?”

“You’ve been doing much better recently –”

“Maybe I should stop taking that draught my healer gave me?”

“Ari, you can’t be serious,” Pansy said levelly, “You’ll be fine.”

“How do you know?” She sighed, testily adding, “Aren’t you too busy flirting with Theodore?”

Her eyes gleamed as she smirked in lieu of a response. Ari griped, “That was _awful_ to witness, by the way. Can’t you pick literally anyone else? Something about him really bothers me.”

“You hating it so much is half the fun,” she immediately responded, smirk turning into a grin.

Ari was about to retort when she felt a hand on her upper arm. She turned around to have her vision swallowed by soft grey eyes. He smiled softly, blushing, as he asked, “Astoria, do you think we could talk now?”

“ _Cedric_ –” she breathed, “Yes, that’s – I would really like that –”

Pansy lopsidedly smiled at her as they walked away. He led her upstairs and outside to a small courtyard, the center grass speckled with daisies and dandelions.

He ran a hand through his hair forcefully, before looking at her. His eyes were ringed by dark circles, his face paler than usual. But still, he was _alive_. “Sorry, you must be wondering why I asked you to talk –”

She breathed in once, deeply, “I think I know, Cedric. I can’t believe you’re – _here_ –” she finished softly, in awe of the way the light filtered through his hair and down onto his face.

His eyes looked strained as he regarded her, “How did you _know_?”

She looked down at her feet, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, “It’s not something I can really explain, and you would probably think I was crazy. I know that was about the most awkward conversation of all time, but I just had to tell you that something might go – _wrong_. And I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you.” Her eyes moved up to his face, “Can you tell me what happened in there? If you want, of course. I don’t want to bring up anything that –”

“No, I want you to know. Harry and I both made it to the cup after Krum used the Cruciatus curse on me –”

“Oh Cedric, I’m so sorry –”

“Don’t be. Something about the maze seemed very off. It was a lot – easier than it should have been in a lot of respects, especially when you think about the other tasks. Krum came straight up to me, which is bloody odd in and of itself, because of how easy it was to get lost. I should have known then, but I was too shocked to really consider –” he shook his head, then continued, “As he was cursing me, Harry saved me. We went our separate ways but ended up entering the center at the same time. There was a stunned acromantula that started to move as soon as we both entered. We both stupefied it, and then we –”

He blushed at this, smiling self-consciously, “We sort of – er – argued with each other, saying that the other should take it. He deserved it more than me, with how he hard he worked and his age, but he was saying that I helped him – It sounds so stupid in retrospect.”

“It’s not stupid at all,” Ari responded gently.

“We decided we would grab the cup at the same time, so we would both win – but as I was walking towards it, I kept thinking about how much you had helped me, and he had done it on his own, and something about the maze didn’t feel _right_ , you know? And I heard your voice, telling me not to touch it, and I couldn’t do it in the end – and then Harry’s hand was holding the handle, and he was gone. I ran out of the maze, trying to find Dumbledore, and when he reappeared, and we found out – I should have gone with him, he shouldn’t have had to do that on his own –”

He was shaking now. Ari’s feet pounded the ground in several strides before she gathered him in her arms. His head fell to her shoulder as she pulled him close, she could hear him begin to cry as the tears dampened her shoulder. “No, Cedric – you couldn’t have –”

“I could have – been there for him –” He was taking big, wracking gulps of air into his lungs, voice heaving.

“You would have died,” Ari said softly.

“But then I would have – I would have died _helping him_ –”

Ari moved her hands to his face, heart cleaving as she saw the guilt etched into his face, tears staining his cheeks, “Cedric, you have to listen to me. You dying wouldn’t have changed things, it wouldn’t have stopped Voldemort from coming back,” she wasn’t sure how much he knew, but she didn’t care, she had to tell him, “It would have hurt Harry so much more if you were no longer here. I know he doesn’t blame you. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now, but I’m here for you, okay? Whenever you need me –”

He nodded once into her hands, grey eyes despondently looking at hers. He crushed her to him again, continuing to quietly sob into her shoulder. She held him until he took several shuddering breaths. He asked, quietly into her shoulder, “What do I do now? How do I – get past this –”

Her eyes squeezed shut, as she sadly smiled into his shoulder, tears filling her eyes, “It’s going to take a lot of time, but you get past this by living, Cedric. By being here. I’m so grateful you’re here.”

\-----

Ari felt tense from the second she walked into the Great Hall for dinner. She and Cedric immediately softly smiled at one another when they saw each other, Cedric once again surrounded by a huge group of friends. She couldn’t help but notice how small he looked, though, face withdrawn and tired. As she walked to the Slytherin table, she saw Draco sitting at the far end with Crabbe and Goyle, face back to its typical sneer. The look on his face burned at her insides, ruining her already miniscule appetite.

Theodore moved to join them the second he saw Pansy. _This is going to happen every day, isn’t it_? Trying not to let out an exasperated sigh, she instead looked around the Great Hall, noticing that Harry was sitting at the table, Hermione and Ron on either side like bodyguards. _He’s here_. She watched his face in the candlelight, remorse and pain fighting their way across her face.

She wished there was something she could have done. To show him he wasn’t alone that night. To have helped him better.

Blinking several times, she looked towards the professor’s long table at the front, immediately noticing Crouch was gone as well. Ari spent the better part of dinner silent, trying to block out Theodore’s terrible flirting while simultaneously trying to keep her eyes from the opposite end of the table.

Dumbledore stood up once everyone had finished their food, the hall coming to an immediate silence. “We are coming to the close of another year,” he began, deep voice reverberating through the space, “And there is a lot I want to tell you about, because I feel you deserve the truth. Last night, Lord Voldemort attacked Harry Potter after he completed the maze.”

The sudden crescendo of furious whispering filled the hall, ending in panicked tones. Ari kept her eyes down, Pansy’s hand pressed into hers. “Now the Ministry of Magic does not want me to tell you this. And I have a feeling some of your parents may be horrified that I have told you as well, but everyone here should know what happened."

> "Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort, showing, in every respect, the sort of bravery few wizards have ever shown in facing him. And for this, I honor him.”

He raised his glass toward Harry’s seat at the Gryffindor table. Ari watched as much of the hall followed suit, the sea of elevated crystal reflecting the candlelight. It was awe-inspiringly beautiful, but she couldn’t help but notice that there were several key exceptions at her table, including Theodore and Draco. Draco’s features were harsh in the refracted light, stony and lead faced. His eyes found hers for a moment, before he stared at the table, refusing to look at her. And god, did it _hurt_.

Ari was finally able to tear her gaze from him, raising her glass towards Cedric and Harry. She caught Cedric’s gaze, raising it a little higher for him as he sadly smiled back. Ari looked to her side and saw Pansy raising her glass towards her, eyes filled with love and empathy. Blinking back tears, she pulled Pansy towards her in a tight side hug.

> “The purpose of the Triwizard Tournament is to promote understanding and magical cooperation between schools. Everyone in this hall is welcome back to Hogwarts at any point. Lord Voldemort’s ability to spread fear and hate is great. We can only fight it by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. It is my belief that we will be facing dark and difficult times, and some of you have already suffered directly in the hands of Voldemort."

"If the time should come between when you have to make the choice between what is right and what is brave, remember Harry’s continued sacrifice and fight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I find Dumbledore's speech really beautifully written and wanted to keep a fair amount of it. Anything that's a direct quote I tried to cite, and I mixed in my own wording with it. 
> 
> You may have noticed the chapter count went up by one! That's because I can't go let go. haha no um it's pretty short and I don't consider it a chapter-chapter, but it's from Dumbledore and helps explain the larger world a bit more. I'll have it out in a couple of minutes. :)


	33. The Triwizard Cups (Dumbledore's Perspective)

Dumbledore stared at two Triwizard cups; the papers typically piled on his desk in even greater disarray than usual. It was early morning, the dew on the blades of grass still forming outside. He had been awake when Hagrid had requested to meet him in his office, mind still tossing over the night’s events. _Poor Harry._

He focused back on the cups, finding this mystery even more perplexing to a certain extent that Tom Riddle’s rebirth. One was clearly a crude imitation of the original, missing most of the nicks and scratches. The patina of the metal wasn’t as dark, and It was even slightly bigger than the other. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. _Had Crouch transfigured a second in case the first failed?_

He turned to Hagrid. “Tell me exactly where you were when you found this, Hagrid.”

“I was walking Fang, ye’ see, over off to the side of the quidditch pitch where the maze is – and he stumbled upon it. It was just sitting in the grass, waiting for someone ter’ find. He’s got such a good nose for finding these things. Almost better than a niffler, he is –”

Thanks to the unequivocally botched handling of Crouch by the Ministry, and in particular Fudge, there was no way he could ask him, either. Still, something seemed _off_ –

“I must thank Fang for his brilliant detective work. Is the sphinx who was inside the maze still at Hogwarts?”

“Oh – yeah, though I’ll tell ye’ Dumbledore, she’s a difficult nut to crack, that one. Always wanting to get me into one of her riddles. There was one I must have been scratchin’ my head over for at least an hour –”

“Sphinxes do have the best riddles. I’d be most appreciative if you could take me to her. And Hagrid, not a word of this to anyone.”

“Course. Ye’ can count on me.” At least that was one thing he could always be sure of.

\----

The sphinx’s amber eyes regarded him coolly, “I was wondering if you would ask me about this –”

Sliding his occlumency walls into place to hide his surprise, he urged her to continue. “There were two students working together. They also seemed to know where they were going.”

_That couldn’t have been any of the champions –_ “What did they look like?”

She cocked her head, considering. “It was a man and woman. Definitely younger than the others, except for the one with the glasses. His riddle was fun to put together. They also seemed –” she smirked to herself, then continued, “ – Close. The woman even asked me if I would be willing to forgo the riddle, mentioning something ‘malevolent’.”

Dumbledore had to keep from knotting his eyebrows together. _They knew about Crouch_ –

“The man was tall with shocking blond hair. It almost looked white. The woman was smaller in stature, with long, dark hair. I believe the man referred to her as –” she blinked several times, “ _Astoria_ , perhaps, but I cannot be sure. He was certainly far less impressed with my riddle than she was. He was the one to figure it out, though.” 

“Thank you so much answering my questions. This has been most illuminating.” Inwardly, his mind was a cacophony of discordant voices. _Miss Greengrass and Mr. Malfoy? It had to be –_

“Do you happen to have time for a riddle?”

The twinkle in his eye returned briefly, “Always.”

\-----

Dumbledore was back in his office now, chin resting against his fist as he regarded the Triwizard Cups once again. It was fully morning, the sun lazily making its way over the horizon. There were certain things he was sure about now.

He knew that Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy had entered the maze to steal the Triwizard cup, somehow catching onto Crouch’s devious plot without telling or alerting any of the professors. He knew they were successful, and he knew that they were most likely present in the graveyard without Tom Riddle, Harry, or any of the other death eaters present noticing. He also knew that Crouch had caught on to a certain extent during which time he transfigured a second cup, which is how Harry was able to be there as well.

What eluded him was _how they knew_ , and also, to a certain extent, how Mr. Malfoy could have been caught up in all of this. To say he was surprised was an understatement, gobsmacked would be a better word. Knowing his actions over the previous years, and the activities of his father, it seemed incomprehensible he would undertake any of this.

_But Astoria_. Astoria had changed. From the moment she walked in earlier that year, her bearing and mannerisms were slightly different. Astoria had always been kind and hardworking, but she was also highly sheltered, quiet, and naïve. The young woman who had walked into his office the handful of times this year was _determined_. Determined to understand her blood curse, determined to learn about spellcasting in a way he rarely saw from students. He had received notes from some of the other professors praising her diligence and enthusiasm for magic, several were even postulating she may make a great healer.

_Was it her curse?_ As he had started the process of researching horcruxes and other dark curses for Harry, he had come across the possibility that maledictions could give flashes of insight to the future or the past, similarly to how Harry described his dreams. _Could her blood curse have shown her the future, changing her personality in the process_?

It wasn’t completely unlikely. Thinking on it, it also wasn’t completely unlikely she had convinced Mr. Malfoy to help her. Though the young man was an obnoxious tyrant, he was never truly evil in the way his father was. They were very close as well, that much was obvious, forming a sort of anti-triad with Miss Parkinson to Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s.

For whatever reason, she was unwilling to tell him any of this. But that was no matter.

He called Severus into his office. A secondary plan was forming in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and remember something you've forgotten? That was me with this chapter at 6am yesterday. 
> 
> hahahaha :D 
> 
> It was exceedingly fun to write Hagrid, though!


	34. The Birthday Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of Ari's first year at Hogwarts.

The next morning during breakfast, Dumbledore made another announcement.

“I regret to inform you all that Professor Moody has become seriously ill and will no longer be able to teach the rest of the term. Fortunately, he should recover in time and as the quality of teaching here is unmatched, we have several professors who are willing and able to lend a hand.”

The shocked silence that followed was replaced by further whispers that snaked throughout the hall. Sharing one pointed glance with Pansy, what followed was almost of no note to her. While it was entertaining to see Snape’s face with an extra shiny gleam to it as he walked towards the DADA podium to lecture for the first time, she preferred the lack of fanfare that surrounded Crouch’s exit. Giving him as little thought as possible was her final, small revenge.

The weeks wound their way down, as everyone prepared for final exams. Ari and Pansy spent most of their time in the library or the common room, often finding themselves joined by Cedric, Blaise, Daphne, and to her immense chagrin, Theodore, who was rapidly becoming one of her least favorite people of all time. The one person she barely saw was Draco, typically only in brief, hurried glances. But what she did see broke her.

He never laughed anymore, face twisted into a scowl or bitter smirk. Dark circles appeared under his eyes, their depths cold and shadowed. She worried he wasn’t getting enough sleep. Every now and then she would feel his eyes on her, but when she looked up, he wouldn’t be there.

She understood that they had both been thrust into this impossible situation. She didn’t blame him for rejecting it, and by extension her, knowing that to fight it would be to fight everything he had been taught, everything he believed, everything about his life. But it still _hurt_.

It hurt that he no longer sat with her and Pansy in the Great Hall. It hurt that he didn’t walk with them between classes. It hurt that she could no longer talk to with him, joke with him, or see him laugh. It hurt that she couldn’t touch him. The hurt was this constant presence that followed her everywhere she went, reminding her of this piece of her life that had been ripped from her so completely and irrevocably, and there was nothing she could do about it.

\-----

_She was standing near the lake, at their spot, watching him walk towards her before he enveloped her into his arms. He began to softly kiss her forehead, cheeks, eyelids, and nose, before his lips made their way to hers._

_“My perfect little Ari,” he whispered, kissing her._

_She pulled away from him, smiling as round tears streamed down her face. Wrapping her hands into his hair, she reveled in its softness, “God, I missed you.”_

_He wiped the tears away with his thumb. “You did?”_

_“I miss you always, Draco.”_

_“That’s funny, because I swear, I must miss you –”_

_He was swept away from her as the earth gave way between them, his hand reaching out to grab hers –_

_“Draco!”_

_He yelled for her as he was pushed back, further and further away till he disappeared from her sight._

Ari awoke with a gasp, Pansy securely wrapped around her. She mumbled in her sleep as Ari stared into the canopy, seeing blue-grey eyes sorrowfully look down onto her.

 _Happy Birthday, Draco,_ she thought despondently, wishing he could materialize from thin air.

\-----

She stared down at the birthday card, feeling there was no world in which this was a good idea. 

“Stop looking at it and just sign it,” Pansy snapped, looking at her.

“How could this possibly go well? And who do I even sign it as?”

“Oh, I don’t know, ‘the love of your life’ or ‘the girl you’re completely crazy about, even if you’re too stupid to admit it’? Both would work.”

Ari scowled at her, and then glanced back down at the card, “None of those are true. You know he’s just going to throw it away, anyways.”

In the end, she left it blank, feeling even more foolish than when she bought it. The feeling only grew as she quickly raced up the stairs towards the boy’s dormitory. Hoping that her plan to drop it off during the beginning of lunch would not be in vain, she almost dared to not breathe as she walked into his dorm. The room was almost spotless, surprising her. Most teenage bedrooms she had found herself in were a disaster, hers in particular.

She saw one had a small poster of the Weird Sisters and brightly colored candies in a small covered bowl, knowing immediately it was Blaise’s. _Are those the Weasley twins’ candies he saved –_

_Oh, Blaise –_

The one devoid of any personality or identifying characteristics she assumed was Theodore’s. Her gaze swept towards the third, where the curtains had been pulled tight against the outside world. A small replica Firebolt stood on the dresser, and the program for the Quidditch cup Pansy had gotten him –

Her heart caught in her throat. She left the card on his trunk, resisting the urge to peek into the curtains, and rapidly fled the room.

She was back in the corridor, almost to the stairs when she could hear approaching footsteps coming directly at her. There was no place to hide. Accepting her fate, she decided to just keep her head down, not to look whoever it was in the eye. She scrambled forward, blood pressure skyrocketing –

“Greengrass, what a surprise to see you here,” a deep voice rumbled.

She looked up, face hardening. Cassius Warrington’s dark eyes regarded her openly, broad chest filling the narrow corridor. _At least it’s not Draco._

“I just had to return – something –” she mumbled, trying to brush past him.

“Leaving so soon? I’m happy to give you the tour, if you’d like –”

“That absolutely won’t be necessary,” she countered, as her feet quickly pounded the steps past him.

Pansy met her downstairs straightaway, eyes apologetic, “Sorry, I tried to distract him for as long as possible.”

“You’re fine. Thanks for trying. Wow, is he a massive dick, though.”

Pansy snorted, “I’ve heard that before, just not in the same context…”

Ari smacked Pansy’s arm as she laughed. 

\------

She and Pansy were sitting together in the Great Hall for breakfast, Daphne opposite. Ari was glaring at Pansy, furiously whispering to her, “Seriously, does Theodore have to sit with us _all the time_?”

“Yes, Astoria, if he wants,” Pansy said in a monotone, before widening her eyes at Daphne, who was giggling.

“He’s so – so –”

“Charming? Attractive? Comes from a good family?” Pansy replied, buttering her toast.

“Besides the family thing, which shouldn’t even matter, none of those things are true. He’s beyond annoying, he continually makes horrifying comments, and his face reminds me –” she stopped, seeing him sauntering their way.

“Good morning Theodore,” Pansy said melodically, grinning at Ari’s anger, “We were just talking about you, actually.”

“Good things, I hope,” he said smirking at the three of them, as his hand lingered a little too long on Pansy’s shoulder.

Ari responded in a sickly-sweet voice, “Oh, just the best –”

He glared at her. The feeling was decidedly mutual between them. “Seriously, what were you talking about?”

Daphne met Ari’s gaze, quickly saying, “Oh, just talking about your family –” as she fluttered her eyelashes slightly in Theodore’s direction. Ari suppressed the urge to laugh, pressing her lips between her teeth.

Theodore immediately puffed up, completely oblivious, “Oh? Well, I do come from a rather prestigious line, don’t I? It is so good to have friends of a similar caliber, such as you, _Pansy_ ,” he said, squeezing her shoulder. Ari vomited in her mouth a little, “And of course you as well, Daphne.”

 _Prestigious line? You are not a fucking thoroughbred._ It did not escape Ari’s notice that he failed to mention Astoria’s name. However, the omission filled her with immense glee.

He sat down next to Pansy, moving to pour himself some tea, just as around forty owls swooped in at once, each dropping a letter to people sitting at the Slytherin table. Ari watched as four letters all fluttered in front of them. It was an incredible sight. The parchment was a thick vellum, addressed to _Miss_ _Astoria Greengrass_ in perfect cursive script.

_You are cordially invited to celebrate the fifteenth birthday of Draco Malfoy at the Malfoy Manor, to take place on the evening of July 5, 1995._

Ari stared at the letter in front of her, not attempting to disguise her shock. She met Pansy’s eyes, completely at a loss for what was in her hands. “Why – why would I be –”

Theodore disregarded her, interrupting, “Yes! I was wondering when this would show up. Last years was insane, I wonder what they’ll do this year –”

Pansy rummaged around her bag, before frowning. “Theodore, darling,” Pansy said in frustration, Theodore perking up instantaneously at her voice, “I think I forgot my ink this morning. I’m going to go grab it, okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t have breakfast with you.”

She exaggerated the sadness in her features. Ari rolled her eyes as he melted into a puddle at his seat. “Of course, I’ll sit next to you during the Transfiguration exam, okay?”

She whispered something to him, Theodore’s eyes widening involuntarily while a flush steadily creeped up his neck. Pansy stood up, “Astoria, you should come with me. You’re always forgetting things, _right_?”

“Oh – er – yes –”

Daphne stood up quickly, too. “I’ll go too. Nice seeing you, Theodore –”

“Okay, is missing ink your go-to?” Ari asked once they left the Great Hall, looking at Pansy through narrowed eyes.

She grinned, “It’s worked so far…”

“If you’re as infatuated as he is – you could put a leash on him at this point and he’d happily go for walks –”

Pansy laughed, “I know. It’s pretty great, right?”

“No, it’s absolutely horrifying.”

Daphne quickly interrupted them, “Both of you! Not the point. Are you going to go to Draco’s party?”

Ari took a single shuddering breath, “No – I don’t – I don’t think that would be a good idea. I don’t even know why I was invited. You guys should go, though, if you would like.”

Daphne looked at Ari gently, “Something happened between you two, didn’t it? You both avoid each other so much.”

Pansy gave Ari a very pointed look. Ari sighed, rubbing her face, “Yeah – _something_ happened. Pansy and I will explain tonight, okay?” feeling her heart begin to speed up in her chest. She saw Pansy give her one small approving nod. _She should know. She deserves to –_

Daphne put a comforting hand on Ari’s arm. “I’m sorry, Astoria.”

Her heart only thumped faster.

\----

She was walking with Pansy back from their Care of Magical Creatures exam when a poised and determined figure with long silvery blond hair walked up to them. The shock on Pansy’s face was evident.

“ _Pan-sie_ – could I talk to you?” she asked, eyes large, “Nous partons demain, and I wanted to talk to you before we left,” her French accent soft and enchanting. Several students had stopped walking to gawk at her.

Pansy’s face was pale, “I –”

She turned to look at Ari. Ari gave her a small, encouraging smile. “I’ll walk back on my own,” then she turned to Fleur, “Great work during the challenges, Fleur.”

“Merci,” she said faintly, eyes never leaving Pansy’s face.

Ari stepped through the entranceway to the castle, feeling a headache begin to form at the base of her head. She shook her head, reducing her pace, as she breathed deeply through her nose. She wondered if she would be in bed all evening. She had made it to the corridor when her vision began to swim.

_No – not this – not now –_

Her hand shot out as she tried to regain her breath, head suddenly pounding in her skull –

She slipped into darkness just as her hand made contact with the wall.

\----- 

She came to with her sense of hearing and touch first, the sensation of crisp white linen underneath her hands. It was incredibly quiet; she had a preternatural awareness of where she was.

_Pansy – Pansy – are you here?_

She felt a strong squeeze at her hand. “I’m here, love. You think you can open your eyes?”

_The hospital wing, though? Really?_

Pansy softly chuckled as Ari incrementally separated her eyelashes, finding herself in a corner hospital bed, Pansy sitting next to her with an open book propped in her lap. “There you are –”

Ari smiled weakly, trying to remember what brought her here. “ _Fleur_ –”

“No talking yet. I am convinced I cannot leave you alone ever now, though.” Pansy said, chastising her, before sighing, “It turns out she wanted to apologize. Mental, right?”

Ari’s eyes widened in surprise, brow furrowing as she wondered what brought on that level of self-awareness Fleur never showed herself to possess. Pansy responded, “I guess she felt bad about what I saw in the Great Hall. She also admitted she did it on purpose. That she didn’t realize the extent of my feelings or some other complete shite. She said to her it was just a fling, but she now ‘understands how I felt and where I was coming from’, whatever that means.”

_Pans, I’m so sorry –_

“It’s okay, Ari. She was wondering if we could owl each other over the summer. I told her no.”

Ari smiled admiringly at her, “So – proud of you – Pans –”

She grinned back, eyes alight as she danced her shoulders, “Thanks. I am proud of me, too.”

“But wait – how did I –”

She smirked, eyes getting a devilish gleam, “Oh, yes. _That_. Draco carried you.”

“ _What?!”_ Ari tried to push herself up, finding her arms were jello.

The door opened suddenly as a very harried looking Daphne rushed in. “Astoria! I came as soon as I could, we had a really difficult potions exam. Are you all right?”

Pansy responded for her, “She took a bit of a nasty tumble, but I think she’ll be okay –”

Ari interrupted, “Thanks for coming, Daphne. But, Draco – he – he carried me?”

“I know, I was shocked too. I guess he saw you fall. He came to get me, actually.”

“Err –” _What the fuck?_

Daphne had come to sit on the other side of the bed. “Okay, you guys are going to really have to fill me in here. Why wouldn’t he help you? Isn’t he the only other one that – _knows_?”

The gleam in Pansy’s eyes grew. “I’m going to find us all tea, because this is going to take a while.”

\-----

Daphne’s eyes were massive by the time they had finished. “You really – you both went through the maze? And saw the Dark Lord rise?”

Ari nodded softly; eyes unable to meet hers.

“And you’re okay? But how could you know all of that? Was it your curse?”

Ari sighed deeply, trying to conceive of the words, as she forced herself to meet Daphne’s gaze. “I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve _changed_ – since the beginning of the year, right?” Daphne nodded, almost imperceptibly. “That’s because – I’m not Astoria. My name is actually Ari. I woke up in Astoria’s body the morning her memories disappeared.” 

Seeing Daphne’s shocked eyes, she began to talk faster, “I’m so sorry, Daphne. If I could get your sister back, I would in an instant. I don’t know how I ended up here, or why. I wish it could be different. I’m so sorry I had to keep this from you. Please know that I love you, though, and I never wanted this to happen.”

She turned to Pansy, “And you – you believe her?”

“Yes, I do, Daphne,” Pansy said, grabbing Ari’s hand, “She knows things about us she only could have learned if she was telling the truth.”

“But, _how_ do you know? And how did you – end up here?”

\-----

“ _Merlin.”_ Daphne looked like she was in a daze.

Ari longed to take her hand, “I know. If you need to tell your parents, I understand. I just – I couldn’t keep this from you anymore. It’s not fair to you, and you deserve to know where your sister is. We’re going to look for her, I promise you we’ll find where she is –”

Daphne’s eyes were searching the ground, palms pressed into her thighs. They zeroed in on a spot in the stonework, before she looked up resolutely towards Ari and Pansy. “I want to help you.”

Ari hesitantly reached out and grabbed her hand. Daphne’s voice was soft as she added, “And _Ari_? I love you too.”

\-----

It was Ari’s first time seeing the Hogwarts Express, its beautiful red carriages gleaming in the sun. The platform was stacked with trunks and suitcases as students loitered in the front of the train, hugging and calling out to one another. She had to smile to herself, acknowledging that in spite of everything that had happened, she had made it through this year.

Ari stood with Pansy and Daphne, watching as other students boarded the train. She saw Blaise with Fred and George. Fred clapped Blaise on the back, his hand remaining on his shoulder for a moment. She winked at him as he shyly grinned back, before turning away to join other Slytherin students. She saw Cedric, again completely surrounded by friends. When their eyes met, he shrugged them off then made his way towards them, Pansy and Daphne’s eyes growing into massive hearts as he approached.

“Hi Cedric,” she said softly, “I hope you have a great summer –”

“Do you think I could write you?”

“Of course! You know I would love to hear from –” Her words were stopped as he hugged her.

_You –_

“Thank you for all your help this year,” he whispered to her.

“Anytime, Cedric,” she whispered back into his shoulder. They pulled apart, Ari blushing. His hand rested on her arm for a second, then he smiled and joined his friends once again.

“Merlin, Ari –” Pansy said, drawing the three of them into a circle, “You know, if the blond idiot doesn’t get his act together, you could always –”

Daphne nodded her head seriously in agreement.

“No,” Ari interrupted, rolling her eyes.

“You sure? Because based on what I just saw –”

“We’re just friends,” Ari said, enunciating each syllable, “It’s hard to explain, he just –” she shook her head, seeing Cedric laughing, Cho’s hand in his. “See?”

“Still –” Daphne’s voice trailed off, gaze focusing on a student in the distance as her expression softened instantly. “I’m going to –”

Pansy and Ari grinned at each other. “You take your time, Daph –”

She blushed, making her way to Justin.

“Did you see his posture change when she walked up to him?”

“I know!”

The squealed at each other as a shadow fell over Pansy’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around her. Ari had to repress the urge to groan. Theodore nuzzled Pansy’s neck, asking her, “Do you think I could sit with you on the train back?”

Pansy smirked, then looked up at Ari, eyes turning into question marks.

Ari sighed, “ _Fine –_ ” as she pointedly looked at everything _but_ the two of them. Most students were heading to the carriages, she saw a group of three students standing off to the side. _Harry._

“I’m going to –” she dropped off, knowing that they were no longer listening to her. She purposefully made her way towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione, trying to catch him before he alighted the train.

“Harry?”

He turned to her, emerald eyes catching the light. Ari felt suddenly shy, “I just wanted to say that I hope you have a good summer, and that I hope you’re doing – okay – all things considered –”

_I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop it, Harry. I promise I’m here for you –_

“Thanks Astoria,” he said, smiling at her kindly. “You too –”

Hermione and Ron smiled hesitantly at her. Their heads were close together as they talked, walking up the steps to the carriage.

Ari joined Pansy, Theodore, and Daphne, who had rejoined their group, cheeks rosy. They made their way to a compartment, Ari pausing as she stepped in.

She looked up, meeting grey-blue eyes from across the train corridor. The sun set his hair alight in a beautiful glow that cascaded down to his face. Still, he looked so tired. She wanted to reach out to him so badly, take away all of his pain. Instead she just regarded him for a moment, eyes trying to convey a thousand things with a glance.

_I miss you. I wish I could be around you again. I’m so sorry. I wish things could be different._

_I love you._

She turned into the compartment, smiling at her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really picture Theodore as Timothee Chalamet, especially the character he portrayed in Lady Bird. Ugh, that guy.
> 
> Next chapter is from Draco's perspective. :D


	35. The Birthday Card (Draco's Perspective)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This picks up from the events of the maze. 
> 
> [And for anyone who liked my last playlist, here's Draco's.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5zXBXo7ksJWaMJL5HdQrEk?si=-H_Qhb3MQ2SSItJpSipUoQ) It helped me a lot when writing this. Where Ari's I would say is more evolved, mature angst, this is just angst. hahaha

Her words ricocheted in his brain, every word and painful look seared into his memory. He saw her eyes every time he blinked, filled with sorrow and devastation, as if it hurt her just as deeply. He walked away from her and focused on his steps, forcing himself to stop crying, start breathing again. Most of all, he ignored the voice in his head telling him to turn around and face her.

_She lied to you. She made you feel this way. She made you see. How could she possibly love you? How dare she –_

He repeated the mantra in his head again and again, getting himself to the common room, his room, the shower. He turned the water to a searing heat, trying to burn away everything he had seen, every feeling that simmered under the surface. He desperately wished he could go back to how he was before.

_Before her._

He watched as the water turned murky brown at his feet, seeing small clumps of dirt wash away from his hair and skin, disgusted with how dirty he was. _It’s her fault. It’s all her fault._

Avoiding his reflection in the mirror, he dragged himself into his bed, shutting the curtains as he willed sleep to come.

\-----

_She was sobbing now, tears streaming down her face. Somehow, she still looked lovely. “Draco, I’m so sorry – I tried to stop it – Please, please listen to me – I love you –”_

_He stooped down on his knees, gathering her up in his arms. “It’s okay,” he breathed into her hair, wiping away the dirt and stray tears from her cheek._

_She wept into his shoulder, “You – you weren’t supposed to see – I’m so sorry – your father –”_

_“We can – we can figure this out together –” he said, staring into her eyes._

_“We can?”_

_“Yes. I love you too.”_

_She started to cry harder, voice making little hiccuping noises with every breath. “How can you? I’m a muggle, Draco –”_

_He reached for her just as she disappeared._

His eyes shot open into the darkness. He made himself relive every detail of the night; every betrayal she had revealed till the light of dawn creeped through his curtains. 

\-----

Draco stared at himself in the mirror, seeing an exhausted and deathly pale face reflected back to him. He detested what he saw. Dark shadows were under his eyes, his hair a tangled mass of curls he couldn’t stand. _Hair she liked_. He ripped off the jar to the hair gel so hard it spun out of his hands, oscillating on the ground for several turns until it came to a thudding stop.

When he finished slicking his hair back, he still hated the face reflected back to him.

Making his way to the Great Hall was an ordeal in and of itself, every step forward making him question if he should go at all because he might see _her_ , how _she_ would react to seeing him, how he would react to _her_. He stepped through the entryway, immediately able to pick her out in the crowd.

She was with _him_. Looking at _him_ , hand clenched to her side as she breathed his name in wonder. He pictured her hand reaching up to his face, fingers stroking down his cheek as he softly said his name, their faces reaching towards one another –

_I fucking knew it._

His lungs started to heave again; his insides burned, everything in him screaming that he had to get as far away from _them_ as he could. He turned around, walking back down to the dungeons, towards potions. He stepped in, before realizing he couldn’t sit with her. He looked around, trying to find a place. His gaze alighted on Crabbe and Goyle, seeing them looking at the ceiling and wall. _Fuck it. Fine._ Nott could find another place to sit.

He sat in-between them, turning around so he couldn’t see _her_ enter. If Crabbe and Goyle were surprised, they didn’t show it, instead remaining silent as they typically did. He heard several people enter, ears automatically attuning themselves to see if it was her or Pansy. Cursing his hearing, he could nevertheless clearly overhear furious whispering, knowing instantly it was them.

“- Make sure he’s okay -”

_Is she talking about me? Diggory? It doesn’t matter. None of it matters._

Nott looked at their table, scoffed, and then made his way to his old table, joking with Pansy and _her_ , “—Not sure what happened with Malfoy, but I know I’d vastly prefer working with you lovely ladies than Crabbe and Goyle, though.”

_Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me._

The first half of class was a blur, _her_ voice mixing with Nott’s ringing in his head, while Snape’s voice monotonously provided a background hum. He couldn’t help watching her back, seeing her hand pressed into a small fist before Pansy smoothed it out.

_If that could be –_

_No._

They started to brew Weedosoros, Draco trying his hardest to block out their conversation and failing on every account.

“ – I’ll take a swig if you will,” Nott responded to Pansy, voice low.

“Only if we make a death pact first –” Pansy responded softly. Draco could see their eyes on each other, not on _her_ –

_Wait –_

_She_ interjected, sounding annoyed, “Are we sure this is the right color? Maybe it should be darker –”

_Nott’s not going after her? He’s going after Pansy?_

He concentrated on the potion, realizing his hand was inadvertently dipping too close to it. When he looked up again, she was nowhere to be seen, instead standing near the potions cabinet. She seemed to be looking at something near the Gryffindor tables, before her hand pressed against the glass, face becoming pale. He felt the panic begin to well up in his chest. _She’s not fainting, is she?_ She breathed in and out several times, before she unexpectedly looked up, eyes meeting his. _Merlin, they are –_

 _No. Remember what she did. Who she is._ He felt the wall build up around himself as her eyes softened around the edges, filling with sadness – with –

He looked away.

\----

“Miss Greengrass and Mr. Malfoy, may I have a word?”

_Fuck. Does he know –_

He stepped forward with confidence he did not feel, insides becoming liquid. _Don’t look at her. Don’t look at her. Don’t look –_

“As I’m sure you both know, one fifth year girl and boy are chosen to be Prefects. I wanted to tell you far in advance that you both have been chosen for the Slytherin house,” Draco had to keep from widening his eyes in surprise, “I trust do not have to explain the importance of this role, or the responsibility. You’re dismissed.”

_No. You have to be fucking kidding me. Three years with – with – her –_

“Yes, sir.” He heard his voice before he consciously thought about opening his mouth. _You have to get out of here. Get away from her. Anywhere, just get –_

He walked out of the Potions classroom, finding a small dark alcove before beginning to hyperventilate. He pressed his hand to the cool stone, waiting till his breathing returned to normal.

\-----

It wasn’t that he was purposefully following them, it’s just that he heard their voices in the hallway, heading straight for him. Heard _her_ voice change, become gentler. He saw them enter a small courtyard. He knew what was going to happen, that their hands would intertwine, that Diggory would finally confess, that she would too, and he would see what he had known all along.

_Maybe he wouldn’t care about who she is, give her everything you couldn’t –_

He entered from the opposite side, where _she_ wouldn’t see him. When he entered, he saw her take two strides to him before crushing him to her. His hand clenched in a fist, of course, he knew this is how it would be –

He heard soft sobs. _Wait –_

“– I could have been there for him –”

Her small hands cupped his face, he could see the tears streaming down his cheeks, “Cedric, you have to listen to me. You dying wouldn’t have changed things, it wouldn’t have stopped Voldemort from coming back. It would have hurt Harry so much more if you were no longer here –”

Her voice had so much emotion. He fled, conscious that he had seen something he wasn’t supposed to. _He knew about the Dark Lord? She – told him?_

He remembered what she had said about Cedric dying if she didn’t stop it, her eyes when she had told him not to touch the Triwizard cup. Everything else she said had come true –

_You’re such a fucking idiot._

_You proved her fears right. She deserves so much better than you._

\-----

Dinner that night was a torment.

He happened to walk in right as Potter and his sniveling friends did, their eyes immediately locking. Seeing his eyes, exhausted and blank behind his glasses, his mind flashed back to the night prior, watching as the Dark Lord had tortured him like a cat with a mouse, as Father did _nothing_ –

But _she_ , she had tried to do something, fury and anger growing so much that he could feel it boiling within her, overtaking her fear. And all he could do was stand there, terrified –

Crabbe and Goyle had said something insipid to them, trying to provoke a fight. Granger’s hand went to her pocket as her eyes flashed at him, waiting. His mind was blank, seeing only the anguish in Potter’s face –

He walked away towards the Slytherin table, jaw clenching, his mind replaying the scene again and again.

He sat on the far end of the table, far away from _them_. He detected with a sneer that Nott was sitting next to them, as if he could immediately fill his absence. Her gaze was far away, eyes flicking back and forth between Diggory and Potter. She was barely eating. _You have to eat – you’ll never get better if you don’t –_

_Stop. Looking. At. Her._

He tried to distract himself by glancing around the hall, realizing that Moody was nowhere to be seen at the professor’s table. _Crouch – it really was him, wasn’t it? That’s how Potter got in after we –_

_Don’t think about it._

Dumbledore stood up, the noise in the hall dying. “We are coming to the close of another year and there is a lot I want to tell you about, because I feel you deserve the truth. Last night, Lord Voldemort attacked Harry Potter after he completed the maze.”

 _Fuck._ He looked around as the whispers began, while Crabbe and Goyle traded knowing glances. Her gaze was rooted to the table, Pansy watching her with immense concern. _She hasn’t left her side. How could she accept things so easily? She’s no different than –_

_Me –_

> “Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort, showing, in every respect, the sort of bravery few wizards have ever shown in facing him. And for this, I honor him.”

Dumbledore raised his glass towards Potter, as most of the hall followed suit. Her eyes moved towards him. He couldn’t help but notice the way the candlelight caught her hair and eyes, how she stared at him with such compassion, even after everything he had said –

He looked down towards the table, unable to keep her gaze. _Coward._

> “ – We can only fight it by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. It is my belief that we will be facing dark and difficult times, some of you have already suffered directly in the hands of Voldemort –”

He realized he hadn’t blamed her for the entire evening.

\-----

_She was sitting next to a small bubbling spring, watching her reflection ripple across the surface. At his approach, she looked up, her sad eyes enveloping his vision. “What’s wrong?” he asked, curving his hand around her cheek._

_Her features softened at his touch, eyes closing for a moment as his thumb stroked her chin. One small tear formed at her eyelashes, he moved to brush it away. “Tell me, please. I can’t stand to see you upset –”_

_Her eyes opened, intensely searching his, “Why don’t you use my name anymore?”_

_“I do, all the time–”_

_She shook her head, “No, you don’t, Draco.”_

_“Astoria –”_

_More tears formed; she began to look distraught. “But, that’s not my name –”_

_“A –”_

He woke up, feeling wetness on his cheeks as a cold sweat clung to him. _Why can’t you leave me alone? It’s hard enough having to see you every day –_

_Please let me be._

\-----

He got used to not being able to sleep, except for in short bursts. He got used to the dark circles under his eyes, of barely being able to stand seeing himself in the mirror. He got used to only being in the Great Hall and common room when he absolutely had to, spending most of his time in his bed or hidden away in the library.

He accepted his new routine.

He tried to tell himself that this was fine. That the terrible dreams he had every night about her were just a fluke, that they would stop eventually. He tried to remind himself every time he saw her that she had done this to him, and that’s why it hurt so much. It wasn’t that he missed her. It wasn’t the look in her eyes.

He ignored the small voice that told him he was wrong. It was getting fainter every day. It was only a matter of time before he would forget about her, about Pansy’s friendship, about everything that happened.

The morning of June 5th dawned bright and clear, no sign of the usual mist that crept from the lake towards the castle. The hills that surrounded the castle were dotted with tiny wildflowers, daisies, and dandelions, buzzing with bees and other insects. It was just another day.

\-----

“Happy Birthday, mate!” Zabini called, clapping him on the back when he sat down at the Great Hall.

He had forgotten it was his birthday. “Oh yeah, thanks –” he responded, trying to smirk. Zabini watched his expression, then smiled at him kindly.

“What’s your family going to do with your party this year?” another voice asked, soon realizing it was Warrington’s.

 _The fete._ He vaguely remembered something from Mother in one of her letters to him, asking him if there was anyone they shouldn’t invite. He couldn’t write down the one name that came to mind. “They’ve kept it a secret this year.”

“I bet your mum’s planning something insane –”

He shrugged, not really caring. It had the opposite effect, as Warrington only got more excited, “Do you know if that one girl is going be there?”

He sneered, as he tried desperately not to think of _her_. “Which one?”

Warrington grinned, “That one you couldn’t keep your hands off of. She had an unreal body – What was her name?”

“Adele?”

 _Adele._ Draco remembered the year previous, where he spent most of the night pressed up against her in various places outside the manor. She had then flaunted her well-endowed assets for weeks.

“Yeah, her – do you think she’ll be there again?”

“She’ll be there.” _In an even shorter dress, probably. Constantly bringing up my last name. The opposite of –_

_Stop._

“I’d love to get know her better –”

Draco saw his mother’s owl swoop down, a massive package hanging from its talons. It landed with a resounding thump, the teacups rattling around them. Warrington eyed him with undisguised jealousy as he opened it, finding inside an assortment of French pastries and cakes, some birthday presents, and a letter.

_My Dearest Draco,_

_Happy Birthday my darling! Your father and I miss you always, but especially on days like this. The manor is always a bit colder when you aren’t here, but it only makes the time I get to spend with you all the sweeter. We have so much planned for you when you get back. If there’s anything you want in the world, just let us know and I will make it happen. I hope you have a fantastic day, my clever boy. We love you so dearly._

_Your Devoted Mother_

He noticed that Mother had thought to include two slices of his favorite chocolate gateau, thinking he would share it with someone.

Her eyes swam before him as she tried it for the first time, filled with delight. She said it was the best piece of cake she had ever tasted.

\-----

During lunch, he decided to drop off the presents and the pastries he hadn’t given out during the morning, leaving just one slice of the chocolate gateau for himself. He came across Warrington standing in the hallway, looking slightly perplexed, a slight smirk on his features.

Ignoring it, he stepped into his room to set down the series of packages, coming across an envelope sitting on his trunk. On it was his name. He’d recognize that handwriting anywhere. _She was here?_

His heart beginning to thud in his chest, he debated if he should even open it, before his curiosity become too much to bear. Making sure not to tear where she had written his name, he gingerly pulled out a card, the ‘Happy Birthday’ on the front enchanted to shimmer in green and silver. Inside were three small printed words. _Happy Birthday Draco._

She hadn’t signed it, but it was unmistakably from her. _Why – why would she –_

He stared at it for a moment, having an intense urge to crumple it up and obliterate it or set it on fire. He flung it to the ground forcefully, watching as it fluttered to a stop a few feet from his feet, while he rested his head in his hands, feeling exhausted.

Every day was exhausting.

As he left, he grabbed the card off the ground and shoved it into his dresser. He tried to repeat the mantra in his head, tried to remember every awful detail she made him see. All he saw was her eyes, filled with sorrow as she told him she loved him.

\-----

He knew the invitations were going to be delivered today. That _she_ would get one. He had been unable to tell Mother, just like he had been unable to throw away that stupid birthday card, which stared at him from the back of his dresser, calling to him late at night when he couldn’t sleep. _Would she even show up? Would Pansy?_

He had been trying to avoid them as they were walking back from the Care of Magical Creatures exam by walking some distance behind, when they were stopped by Fleur. _Fleur is talking to Pansy in public?_

Curiosity piqued, he slowed his steps, watching as Fleur led a visibly pale Pansy softly by the arm into a small courtyard. That left _her_ on her own. She entered the castle, then stretched her neck from side to side –

 _She’s getting a headache, isn’t she?_ The alarm bells in his head started ringing. Instinctively, his pace began to quicken, just as he was telling himself to do the opposite. _She’s not yours, you don’t have to look after her anymore. She saw to it that would be –_

Her walking slowed dramatically as she entered the corridor, her hand shooting out towards the wall, trying to keep herself upright –

Draco was running before the thought connected with his synapses. He watched, fear filling every hollow in his chest as she fell towards the floor, the muscles in his legs working in overdrive to get to her. He made it just as a couple of students had stopped, trying to figure out what to do.

“Should we – should we get Madam Pomfrey? Is she all right?” It was Finch-Fletchley, Abbott, and MacMillan, staring at her with abject horror and fascination.

She looked so small and delicate, there on the floor. He desperately hoped she hadn’t hurt her head. “I’ll take her,” he offered automatically.

“Are you sure?” Finch-Fletchley asked hesitantly, taking a step towards her –

“ _Don’t touch her_ –” he snapped, seeing them instantaneously pale. He got onto his knees and scooped her up in his arms, cradling her head against his shoulder, “She has a health issue. I – know what to do.”

 _Was she always this light?_ He could see slight hollows in her cheeks, could unmistakably feel the individual bones of her rib cage. _She had lost weight_?

This was the closest he had been to her in so long, for a second he wondered if this is what it felt like to come home, all his senses attuning themselves to _her_. The rhythmic nature of her breath as she shallowly inhaled and exhaled, how her dark lashes looked pressed against her cheekbones, the softness in her expression. He could smell the shampoo she used, along with the gentle scent of her skin. He carried her to the hospital wing, softly whispering to her, “You’re going to be okay; I’ve got you.”

Draco could almost swear she curled into him more.

\-----

He found Pansy standing in the courtyard alone, a slightly bewildered expression on her face. She looked at him, perplexed, “Malfoy?”

“It’s – It’s – _Astoria_ , she fainted. I took her to the hospital wing –”

Her eyes were suddenly massive, gait quickly turning into a run as she pounded the stone steps toward the wing. He followed, watching as she went up and squeezed her hand, then frowned.

“She’s not back yet – _Fuck_. To think I left her –” She turned back towards him, “Thanks for taking her.”

He mumbled, “I’ll see you around, Pansy,” before moving to leave. _There’s no point for me to –_

“Malfoy – Draco, _wait_.” His eyes pivoted back to her. “You can – stay, if you want. I think she would like that. I would, too.”

He could feel his defenses raise immediately as he tensed up. _There’s – there’s no –_ “Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Because you want to. And your friends want you to.”

His nostrils began to flare in anger. _How dare she presume how I feel_. He twisted the question back to her, “How are you able to still be friends with her after – after what happened? How is it so _easy_ for you?”

She sighed, “Because Ari’s my friend, Draco. The best I’ve ever had. I can be myself around her.”

“But she _lied_ –” 

Her tone was resolute, “She didn’t have a choice. It’s high time you realize that too, before it’s too late.”

_If you stayed, you could be here when she woke up –_

He strode out of the hospital wing, banging the door behind him.

\-----

He stood on the platform, far away from everyone else, Crabbe and Goyle loitering nearby. His trunk was sitting to his right. He was counting the seconds till he could leave Hogwarts, get away from _her_ , get back to his old life. He could see Pansy and Daphne talking with her, Pansy’s grin at something she said. _Had she told Daphne?_

_Why the fuck am I thinking about this?_

He looked around the platform, instantly spying several groups of people he could not stand. Potter and his group of awful friends, Diggory, as usual surrounded by people, stopping everything to smile at _her_ , walk over to _her_ –

_Embrace her like he is holding onto something for dear life –_

He breathed in and out deeply several times, multiple thoughts hitting him at once. Jealousy, sadness, remembrances of them together in the courtyard, and his shame at what he saw. One thought above all else swam before his eyes.

 _You left her._ He turned around, managing to keep himself from watching her the rest of the time he was on the platform.

He was standing near the train waiting to get into the carriage, when Zabini clapped him on the shoulder. “Draco, mate – have a great summer –”

“Thanks – you too. You coming to the party?”

“Wouldn’t miss it, man. Hey, there’s something I want to say.”

Draco arranged his face into one of bored indifference, meanwhile his palms were starting to sweat. _Does he know about the maze? Her?_ “What’s up?”

Blaise rubbed his hair, before his voice dropped, eyes watching him perceptively, “Look, I know this year wasn’t the easiest for you. Take it from someone’s who been there, there are more people here for you than you realize. If you ever want to talk, I’m here. I’ll see you soon.”

He squeezed his shoulder once, then walked away.

He stared at the ground for a moment, wondering what had just happened.

\-----

He made his way into the carriage, after Crabbe and Goyle. He paused for a second, looking up to see _her_ blazing blue eyes staring at him. The light was streaming through their compartment, bathing her face in a soft glow that lit up her features. Still, she looked so small, standing there. He wanted so badly to reach out and protect her from the entire world. Instead, he watched her in the light, trying to tell her a thousand things with a look. Everything he could only say to her.

_I don’t know what to call you. I don’t know how to be around you. I think about you all the time. I wish things could be different. I wish I could be different._

He turned into the compartment and watched the countryside begin to whiz past, thinking about the look in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've said this multiple times, but this is definitely one of my more favorite things I've written. 
> 
> Just two more chapters left!! Gahhh


	36. The Birthday Fete (Draco's Perspective)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the angst train, heading toward Malfoy Manor. 
> 
> A brief note: This chapter contains house-elf conversations and dynamics. I want to make it very clear that I will not be writing their dialogue the way they were written in the books.

Draco departed the train to see his mother waiting for him, letting out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. It felt so good to see her, like he was standing on solid ground for the first time in months. She was just as he had seen him last, impeccably dressed, same blond hair in its classic chignon. She walked up to him, surrounding him in a tight hug as she kissed his cheeks, “Draco – my darling boy. How I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Mother.” _So much more than you can imagine._

She looked him up and down, “I think you’ve gotten taller, though I must write to Dumbledore, make sure they’re letting you sleep enough.”

 _She noticed._ He only grinned self-consciously, hoping she wouldn’t ask any more about it.

“Do you want to say goodbye to anyone?”

He kept himself from looking for _her_ , instead just shaking his head, staring down at his mother’s aquamarine eyes. “I’ll see them soon with the fete, anyways.”

She gave him a mischievous grin, filling his heart with its warmth, “Good, that means I can keep you to myself.”

Winding her hand through his elbow, they made their way to one of the giant fireplaces at the end of the station. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw _her_ watching him, eyes melancholy. Shaking his head, he threw the Floo powder down and avoided her gaze.

His mother turned to him as they stepped out of the fireplace, face aglow with happiness. “I have so much I want to talk to you about. Your father has been so busy these days –”

“Father has? Dealing with the Ministry?” he asked, keeping his tone deliberately level.

“That and other personal projects he’s been working on. He wants to talk to you about it once he gets back.” For a moment, her eyes betrayed an intense stress. Draco’s heart briefly dropped to the pit of his stomach, dreading what was going to come.

She blinked, smiling again. “Let’s go to the kitchens. I know Pippy has been dying to see you. She even made special cakes for the occasion.”

Pippy immediately squealed when she saw him, “Master Draco!”

He scrunched down, easily smiling at her. “Pippy – it’s good to see you.”

Her bony arms crushed him to her as she elatedly said, “I made all your favorites, please tell me what you want – Oh Master Draco! I can’t believe you’re here!”

“Told you she was excited –” his mother responded, smiling. 

\-----

He observed his father as he sat down across from him, whiskey tumbler in one hand. They were both sitting on identical, low-backed leather chesterfield sofas, dyed a deep navy. He had sat here countless times before, normally thrilled that he could be involved in his time, be in his presence. But not now. Draco could hear the hum of his elevated blood pressure in his ears, even as his face betrayed no outward distress. 

“It’s so good to see you, son.” His father’s voice was deep and commanding, so different from his voice that night. His clear grey eyes were framed by sandy blond hair, pulled into a low topknot.

He realized he had still missed him, though. “You too, Father,” he said, a brief smile cresting over his features, “Mother told me you were dealing with the Ministry?”

“Yes – complete idiocy over there. I can’t wait till –” he stopped himself, fixing his eyes on Draco. His mother walked in, situating herself next to him. His father wrapped his arm around her automatically, as she naturally curled into him.

Growing up, Draco assumed all relationships had such an easy intimacy as his parents had, before he started spending time with other pureblooded families. He quickly realized they were the exception to the rule. His hands tingled, feeling the echoes of her soft, small hands intertwined with his – 

Rousing himself from his thoughts, he mimicked his father’s expression.

“Your Father and I have some things we need to talk to you about.”

“What about?” he asked, trying to sound respectfully interested. _Anything else but what I think it is –_

“You deserve to know. The Dark Lord has risen again.”

 _Fuck._ His heart erratically beat in his chest. As he tried to control his breathing, he saw two very different expressions from his parents. His father’s face was animated, expressing a nervous excitement he had only seen in brief moments. It had almost a manic quality to it, the fire in his eyes alight. His mother, on the other hand, seemed to shrink into herself, face becoming very drawn. Her hand wrapped around his father’s, clinging to it as she massaged his knuckles.

“Oh –” he wasn’t sure how to respond, settling on muted surprise, “Dumbledore announced something the day after the last Triwizard task. I wasn’t paying much attention; you know how he likes to drone on –”

“I had very a serious conversation with Cornelius about that. We wanted to control how news broke –”

“Your Father and I discussed it that night, given this family’s history –” his mother interrupted softly.

“But we feel it’s for the good of the family and the Malfoy line. Not to mention the wizarding world at large,” He finished, tightening his grip on her shoulder.

“Yes,” she said with finality, trying to smile at Draco. “We wanted to tell you because some things might be changing around the manor, but it shouldn’t interfere with you or your studies. Right, Lucius?”

“Of course not.” He smoothly intoned.

Draco smirked, “Well then, I don’t see any problem with it,” earning a meek smile from his mother and approving glance from his father.

He found his words disgusted him. Everything was happening just as she said. _Where the fuck do I go from here?_

\-----

Preparations for his birthday party were moving along, set to happen in just a few days’ time. Pippy’s baking was being to put to the test, having to make enough pastries and cakes for a small army, on top of Draco’s multi-tiered birthday cake. She was running around the kitchens, directing the other house elves with her small, squeaking voice. Still, she always made time for him, having tea ready or a small slice of cake.

Draco was passing from the kitchens to his wing, when he heard his mother’s voice from the tearoom. “Draco, darling, can you grab your father from his study? Dinner should be ready soon –”

“Of course, Mother.”

She smiled at him, “What did I do to deserve such a fantastic son?”

He smirked back at her, “It must have been something good –” watching as her smile turned into a grin. _Merlin, I missed you, Mother._

He altered his course, heading towards the study. The door was ajar, he peeked in to find his father leaning up against his desk, facing away from him. Draco’s mouth opened to call out, till his eyes travelled downwards. He was holding his wrist in the opposite hand, his long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. On his inner forearm his dark mark was a deep black, writhing as it called out to him. He grabbed his wand and disapparated, gone instantaneously.

Draco recoiled, facing a sudden bout of nausea. His mind flashed back to seeing it turn black for the first time, as that horrifying man screamed in agony –

_Don’t think about it._

He slid down against the door, trying not to hyperventilate again. There was a pressure on his chest, tightening like a vise around his lungs. He was utterly bereft, wondering when the depths would drag him so far down, he could no longer see the light. Her eyes called to him, bringing him back.

\-----

The day before the fete was one of great expectation and excitement for the Malfoy household, with a parade of workers throughout the estate trying to get everything done on time. At his mother’s direction, a dance floor was being built for the evening on the East Lawn, surrounded by thousands of twinkling lights that led off to the far corners of the property and gardens. It was to be themed around a _Midsummer Night’s Dream._

Draco was counting down the moments till it would be over. In his present state, the thought of that many people wanting to talk to and be around him sounded overwhelming.

He and his parents were sitting down for afternoon tea. His father was casually reading the Daily Prophet while his mother was overlooking a huge list of things to be accomplished for tomorrow, a lock of wavy hair out of place in her usually impeccably styled hair. “Could I get you some tea, Mother?” he asked, slightly concerned at her obvious stress.

“Oh Draco, you’re so sweet as always. Yes, that would be lovely.”

He poured some tea into her favorite teacup. “Two sugars, right?”

She smiled distractedly, “You know me so well,” before sighing, looking down again, “I don’t know why I make this so hard on myself.”

His father eyed her over his paper, “Darling, I don’t know why you do this, either. Why not just have it the same as last year? Everyone loved that –”

She leveled a slight glare at him, “You clearly do not know much about party planning –”

He smirked back, “ – Which is why I leave it up to you. Speaking of which, I have a meeting tonight. I need to get my robes in order.” He paused for a moment, then called out, “Pippy!”

Pippy appeared instantly, a bit of flour on the side of her tiny face. _Why Pippy? Why not another –_ His mother gently reminded him, “Lucius, don’t you think you could call another house-elf? She’s very busy –”

“Nonsense. Pippy, get my black robes and cloak ready. I have a meeting this evening.”

“Master Lucius! Of course, but first may I finish the pastry I was –” She stopped, seeing his eyes begin to constrict in anger.

His mother put a placating hand on his arm, “Lucius, just call another –”

“ _No._ Pippy, were you just disobeying me?” His voice devoid of all emotion. All the hairs stood up on Draco’s neck.

“No, Master Lucius! I would never dream –”

His father stood up, towering over her, eyes flashing. Draco could acutely feel that things were beginning to spiral out of control. His eyes widened in fear and shock, he had never seen his father act like this towards her, only the elves that deserved it. _Don’t do anything to her –_

Pippy had begun to cower, “Please Master Lucius, I’m so sorry – I didn’t mean –”

“ _How dare you_.”

_He can’t –_

His father took a step towards Pippy, hand rearing back to strike her. _“_ Someone needs to teach you a lesson.”

Those words –

_He doesn’t – he couldn’t – I have to –_

“Father!” He heard his voice; it was stronger than he had ever meant it to be. He had just wanted it to _stop_. He suddenly realized he was standing too. His father looked towards him, hand in a tight fist, jaw clenching uncontrollably. His eyes were full of rage. Disbelief and shock coursed through Draco’s veins. _None of this had ever happened – what was –_

He had no idea what to do.

“ – Lucius, that’s _enough_.” His mother’s voice was so level it was almost frightening.

His father’s posture instantly changed, however anger still emanated from his every pore, “Well, I’ll go get it ready myself if no one in this family is willing to _help_ me –” he snarled, then stalked off towards their bedroom, hand still in a fist.

Draco could feel his legs began to give out. He was so tired. He turned back towards his mother, “Mother – I’m so sorry – I didn’t mean –”

She was pale, eyes strained and wide. “None of that was your fault,” she said softly, “I can’t believe –” she shook her head, before placing a hand on his cheek, aquamarine eyes searching his, “You should get some rest. Your father and I need to have a discussion. Now.”

She turned towards Pippy, who was now bawling softly, curled into a ball. “Pippy, you did nothing wrong. Take a bit of time to collect yourself.”

Pippy nodded, sniffling. Draco then hesitantly approached her. She threw her arms around him, saying, “Thank you, Master Draco.”

\-----

Draco wasn’t sure if he had ever felt more lost than he did in this moment. All he wanted was to sleep. A dreamless, black ether he could lay in, not thinking, not remembering, not feeling trapped. He stared up into the canopy, seeing her floating above him with soft eyes. He reached his hand out towards her. _What would she do?_

Her hand reached out back towards him.

\-----

_He found himself laying on a blanket, the afternoon sun warm on his face, something tickling his arm. He looked down and there she was, curled up into his side, her head on his chest. They must have fallen asleep together._

_Merlin, she looked beautiful when she was asleep._

_Her breathing changed as she began to stir, sleepily opening her eyes. Seeing his gaze on her, she reached up and lovingly caressed his chin. “Hey, you.”_

_“Ari –”_

_Her face curved into a joyful smile, “Do you know the time?”_

_“No idea.” He looked up at the sun position’s in the sky, “I don’t think it’s been too long –”_

_Before he could finish, her hand planted on his other side as she slid on top of him. Her hair flowed down her shoulders, filtering out the sun, surrounding him in her. “Good,” she whispered into his ear, grinning at his surprised expression. She slowly, tantalizingly lowered her face, connecting her lips to his._

His eyes opened with a start, hands clutching at air. They found nothing but darkness.

_No – don’t go – please –_

_I’ll do anything, just come back to me, I love –_

_I love you. I can’t do this without you._

He’d been in love with her for so long. He swore he could still almost feel the sunlight, feel her against him. It didn’t matter who she was, what her name was, how she came to him. He didn’t want to lie anymore. He just wanted her.

He had to make it up to her, somehow.

\-----

He shrugged on his midnight blue dress robes, staring at himself in the mirror. His reflection was wracked with nervousness and guilt. He knew it was impossible that she would come, but there was this little sliver of hope that maybe she would – that he could see her again –

_All I want is a chance._

Hearing his mother’s knock at his door, he gave himself one last pointed look in the mirror. When he answered, she looked him up and down then grinned, a sly twinkle in her gaze, “Draco, you know you’ll have to fight off all the girls with your broom tonight, right?”

He blushed, “Mother –”

“I’m serious, I love what you’ve done with your hair.”

He twirled a stray wavy lock of hair through his fingers, “You think so? Someone once told me I should keep it curly –”

“They were right. We should head downstairs; some of your friends have already started arriving.”

They made their way downstairs arm in arm. His father was already there, mingling with guests. Besides checking on Pippy, he had kept himself from thinking too much about what happened yesterday, vastly preferring to postpone that for another day. His eyes swept across the room, immediately growing dim when he didn’t see her.

They grew decidedly duller as he saw Adele make a beeline for him, wearing the tiniest of dresses. It seemed to be bright pink. “Draco –” she purred, putting a long kiss on either cheek, “I missed you.”

“Hi Adele,” he said curtly.

He could swear his mother rolled her eyes for an instant. She smiled at Adele pleasantly, “Adele, how good to see you. How are your parents?”

“Wonderful – they’re here. They wanted to see if you wanted to stay with us this summer,” she said, openly eyeing Draco up and down. _Merlin, what did I ever see in this girl –_

“We’ll have to check our calendar, thank you for the invitation, though,” his mother smoothly interjected, saving him from having to come up with an excuse.

Before walking away, he whispered, “Thank you, Mother.”

She smirked, saying back, “Glad you figured it out.”

The party moved outside, towards the lawn. His mother had done an incredible job. The manor looked even more spectacular than it usually did, surrounded in the glow of thousands of twinkling lights of all sizes. Draco spent the better part of a half an hour having to mingle with everyone, thoroughly avoiding Adele’s repeated attempts to get him alone. He spied Blaise and Nott together and made his way towards them.

“Mate, this place looks unreal!” Blaise called out at his approach.

“I know, Mother really outdid herself tonight. Thanks for coming –” 

Nott asked, “Of course. Have either of you seen Pansy? She said she was coming –”

Draco felt his heart begin to pound. _If Pansy’s coming, does that mean –_

Blaise grinned, “Haven’t seen her. You know she’ll pull out all the stops, though.”

Warrington joined them, “Draco – man! This is the best! Did you see Adele tonight?”

“Sure did,” he said dryly.

As if on cue, someone wrapped her arms around Draco’s shoulders. “There you are – do you want to dance?” The French accent was unmistakable.

“Adele – I have to – continue greeting everyone. I’ll catch you later, though?” He quickly extricated himself, avoiding Blaise’s amused smirk.

He was about to step away when he heard Pansy’s laugh from nearby. He whirled around, seeing her in a deep red dress, Nott’s eyes growing three times as large. She was talking to someone –

Daphne. Just Daphne.

_She –_

_She hadn’t come, had she –_

How could he have hoped she would be here, after – everything he had –

The next hour passed in a bit of a blur. He vaguely remembered getting cake, talking to people, even briefly being forced to dance with Adele. At every laugh, or feeling that someone was looking at him, he would look up, hoping she was standing there –

But she wasn’t. He was walking towards a side garden, desperately wanting to catch his breath when a voice stopped him.

“You’re miserable, aren’t you?” It was Pansy. Alone.

“I’m – I’m –”

“Oh, cut the bullshit, Malfoy.”

He sighed, “ _Why isn’t she here,_ Pansy?”

Her voice was soft, “You know why.”

“How – how is she?” _Is she eating enough? Has she fainted again? Does she miss me as much as I –_

Pansy’s eyes regarded him in the light before she answered, voice quiet, “If you want to know, you need to ask her yourself.”

His next words were a faint whisper of regret, “Would she even want to see me?”

She looked to the side for a moment, then turned back to him, eyes flinty, “I don’t know. I’m only going to tell you this once because I was hoping you would figure it out on your own, but you really fucked this one up.”

“I know that,” he testily responded.

“ _Do you_?”

He swallowed hard, a montage of images flashing before his eyes of how he had treated her over the past month and a half, completely unable to be in her presence. He had left her alone to deal with this, shipwrecking himself in the process. They could have figured it out _together_ , and instead he had thrown it in her face, filling his heart with hurt and anger till there was nothing left but a hollow shell. When he closed his eyes, he saw her face, filled with sorrow. _None of it was her fault._

“I – “ He sighed, roughly pulling his hands through his hair. _I don’t know how the fuck to put any of this into words._

Pansy put her hand on his arm, “You should start apologizing now, so maybe she will forgive you by next Christmas.”

“I don’t even know where she lives –”

“Oh, that? She’s at my country house,” she grinned for a second, “Probably terrified of the ghosts as we speak –”

“Wait – what if –”

“Do you want to see her or not?”

“I – I want to see her.” _So much._

A hint of a smile appeared on her face. “Good.”

He followed Pansy to the fireplace inside, mind racing as he tried to figure out what to say. Every apology, question, and honesty he had kept himself from thinking came flooding to him, leaving him breathless and shaky. She grabbed some floo powder from the mantelpiece, then stepped into the fireplace. “Parkinson Country Residence.”

Before he could fully comprehend what he was about to do, she was gone in a flash of green. Taking a deep breath, he hesitantly stood in the fireplace, hand trembling. Coming to a decision, he threw the powder at his feet, repeating what Pansy had said. _Just once. I’ll see her once, just once, and that will be enough. And then I’ll leave her alone. I just have to see her –_

_\-----_

He heard her voice first. It had a soft lilt to it, filling his ears with how much he had missed it, missed _her_ , “ – Was it, did you see Theodore like you –” she stopped, eyes growing wide as she saw him standing there, “— _Wanted_ –”

Like everything with her, all his plans disappeared the second he saw her. She was in pajama shorts and a sleeveless shirt, long hair pulled up away from her neck messily. She looked _perfect._ He realized this might be the first time he had seen her bare legs. They were slender and delicate; she was slightly tanned, Draco hazily realizing she had been spending time at the pool outside –

Her arms crossed over her chest, staring at him. He realized he had no clue what to say. “Don’t get mad, Ari – I’m going to go to my room. Good luck you two.” Pansy quickly interjected, smirking at Draco on her way out.

“I –”

She cut him off, not that he had much to say, “Why – why are you here?”

He took a shaky breath, trying to remember anything beyond her golden legs, “I – I wanted to see how you – were.”

 _Great opening line, she’ll accept you back in no time._ He suddenly realized he was still standing in the fireplace. He took one hesitant step forward, feeling his cheeks begin to flush in embarrassment.

She blinked several times, biting her lower lip. Her eyes seized on him, a crystal-clear lake of blue that made his breath catch in his throat. _Merlin, she’s_ – “I’m – I’m okay, Draco. How are you?”

The question threw him off-kilter, he wasn’t expecting her to ask him, “I’m doing all right, I guess –”

She half-smiled, then frowned softly and looked away. A voice bubbled up, hissing at him – _You’re lying._ Before he could stop himself, he began to speak, “No, I’m not. _Why weren’t you there tonight_?” He loathed how pitiful he sounded. 

She sputtered, eyes coming back to his, “I didn’t think you would – want me there. I didn’t know why I was still invited. And it would – hurt to be there.”

“Why did you give me a birthday card, then?”

She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it was a blaze of melancholy that shot through his heart, “Because – because it was your _birthday_ , Draco.”

“You’re the one person I – I wanted to see.” _You’re the one person I always want to see._

Her voice was faint, but there was no denying the shock, “What?”

“I wanted you to be there, so I could – apologize. I’m so sorry about what I did. What I said –”

“ _Wait_ – Draco –”

He couldn’t stop, more than that, he didn’t want to. He’d say anything, just to keep her gaze on him, keep her close to him, “I want to be better. I want to figure this out together. I can’t do this without you. Please know, how sorry I am, how much I want –” he stopped himself, taking a breath, “I want to be your friend again, all I want to do is make this up to you – I just need you here, I want you here –”

Her arms uncrossed; she took one step towards him, her hand unconsciously reaching out. “Draco, _are you okay_?” _She couldn’t tell – could she?_ She continued, “Did something happen with your dad?” 

_How –_ “How do you do that? How do you always know?”

“Do what?” she tilted her head towards the side, not cognizant of the effect she had on him.

“Every time. You always choose me first. You always know how I feel, what to say –”

She held his gaze, voice dropping to a whisper, “That’s what you do when you love someone –”

_What –_

She blushed, fumbling her words, “I shouldn’t – I shouldn’t have said that.”

“ _You – you –”_ He had a sudden, desperate need to touch her, feel her against him. Make sure she was real, in front of him. That he wasn’t going to wake up alone as he did every night, drenched in a cold sweat.

She roughly pulled her hair down, raking her fingers through it as wavy hair framed her face and shoulders. The effect was stunning, “I’m so sorry –”

 _I can’t believe it –_ “I should be the one apologizing. If I could take back everything I said – get back the time we lost. I want anything you can give me, Astoria."

He knew he had said the wrong thing instantly. Her eyes suddenly looked pained; she sagged a little bit, “But – but I’m not Astoria, Draco. I wish I was; I wish everyday things were different. What I hated the most was lying to you. It hurt every day. But that’s the thing, I can’t be _her_ –” 

_But she said she loves me._ He grasped at her other name, the one he had refused to say, think even, “ _Ari_.”

He loved it. It felt so _right_ , like it was made for him to say. Her eyes grew, watching him, as if they were daring to hope. He tried again, “Can you forgive me, Ari?”

She stared at him, as if she wasn’t quite believing her ears. Her voice was so soft, he almost couldn’t hear her. “Yes.”

“And keep forgiving me?”

“ _Yes_.”

As if both pulled by an invisible string, they both moved towards one another. He slowly brought his hand to her face, tracing the roundness of her cheekbones, the curve of her chin, before brushing her lips, every nerve ending in his hand delighting in the feel of her skin. _She is here. And she loves me._

He brought his face down till their lips were mere inches away, his forehead pressed into hers, “I love _you_ , Ari. And I’ve missed you.”

“—So much.”

He saw her smile. The part of his heart he had kept for her, locked away in the deepest recesses of himself, unsealed in only the briefest of glimpses, burst open with new life, connecting pathways and feelings long buried. It started to _sing_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't have the bitter without the sweet. 
> 
> :DDDDD
> 
> (also fucking Lucius, am I right? hahah)
> 
> The FINAL CHAPTER comes out on Wednesday! We almost made it, y'all. I am so thrilled and honored that you've come on this journey with me. I've loved every second of writing this and interacting with you guys. <333


	37. The Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> <333
> 
> This chapter is a bit steamier than the others (nothing explicit, trying to keep it within that mature rating). I hope that doesn't bother anyone ;D

“ _You – you love me_? But – but how – is this possible –” Her body was on fire at his touch, she felt completely overcome by his skin on hers and his smell and his eyes – _here_.

“I’ve loved you for so long –”

She kissed him then, as she wrapped her hands around his shoulders, into his hair, immediately clinging to him. He groaned, his hands finding their way to the small of her waist, pulling them so close she could feel his heartbeat through his dress robes, the soft velvet crushed against her skin. _His dress robes –_

“ _Wait –_ Draco – your party – don’t you have to –”

He groaned into her mouth, squeezing her hips. “ _Fuck_ –”

She laughed, as he took several shuddering gasps into her ear, sending delicious shivers down her spine. “We can – we can just meet late –”

“Could you come back with me?” his voice growing softer and more nervous with each word.

She raised one eyebrow at him, feeling her cheeks begin to flush, “Do you see how I’m dressed?”

His eyes darkened, “Yes, and I love it.”

She grinned; she couldn’t help it. He was _here_ , “I think I might have an idea. Can you wait here for a bit? Maybe Pansy has something I can wear.”

His eyes glowed, “So does that mean –”

“Don’t get too excited yet. Let me see if she has anything, first.”

They held eye contact till she absolutely had to turn around. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, every one of them punctuated by Draco’s name.

\-----

“I thought you would never ask!” Pansy squealed, clearly delighted. “Give me five minutes.”

In those five minutes, Pansy had managed to find Ari a pale green slip dress that softly shimmered down to her feet, swiped on some mascara and lipstick, and somehow smoothed out Ari’s hair.

She shrugged appreciatively, “Not bad if I do say so myself.” 

“You’re a miracle worker, you know that?” She could feel her nervousness beginning to take hold, “You think he’ll like it?”

“Ari, I think he’d be overjoyed if you came out in a paper bag –”

“I – I –” _Don’t know how this happened – he – he loves me?!_

“I know, love. I’m really happy for you both.”

“I feel like I have you to thank for a lot of this.” she whispered to Pansy as they walked downstairs.

“Probably,” Pansy said, a self-satisfied grin splashed on her features, “Now, be quiet so I can enjoy his expression –”

“That’s ridic – ”

 _Oh –_ She immediately stopped talking when she saw him again. She was still dumbstruck he was there, waiting for her, deep sapphire robes bringing out the blue in his eyes. He swallowed hard, hands dropping his sides as if he had just dropped a lead weight. It was as though he was trying to stop time, memorizing every eyelash and lock of hair, every curve and millimeter of fabric that made up her dress.

“You look –” he trailed off, a subtle blush blooming on his cheeks as he smiled at her.

“I know, I do great work,” Ari heard Pansy’s voice call out.

They were still stopped, staring at each other.

“This year, _please_ –”

Her legs feeling like they had turned to jelly, she walked towards him. He met her halfway, shyly extending his palm out for her, eyes dilating at the jolt of electricity of their touch.

\-----

She appeared in a grand entryway, seeing a massive staircase curve around the wall covered by portraits. _Just like Astoria’s memory._ And there he was, still thrilled to see her, not quite believing his eyes. His hand immediately finding hers, he led her outside. Ari was astounded. The grounds were aglow in the moonlight, seemingly hundreds of small corners and pathways to be discovered. There was a large dance floor to one side of the lawn, where lights and candles had been suspended in the air. She could even see a large pond off in the distance, lights flickering in the water.

It was _magical_.

“How – this is – so beautiful –”

He said in her ear, “It’s all Mother’s doing. I’m so happy you got to see it.”

She looked at him. “Well, what would you like to do first?” She grinned, adding, “It is your party after all, you should be in charge of the itinerary –”

His free hand found hers, pulling it to his chest as his lips brushed her earlobe, _“_ I would love to dance, _Ari_.”

Ari took a shaky breath, not used to hearing her name from him. She was surprised as he led her towards the pond ad not the dance floor, the music abruptly changing to something slow and soft. Ari had a sneaking suspicion Pansy was at its root cause but was too enchanted by her surroundings to pay more attention, the feeling of Draco’s hand in hers overriding her ability to think clearly.

“It’s more private here,” he said, before he took her to a quiet stretch. Ari could see the lights scattered throughout the water as they bobbed back and forth romantically. They were completely alone.

She brought her hands first to his elbows and his wrapped around her waist as they stepped closer, beginning to slowly sway to the rhythm. Tilting her head up to meet his gaze, she moved her hands upwards towards his back and shoulders. As they danced, the world melted away. There were only his hands on the small of her back, his eyes watching her, an enraptured expression on his face.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look?” he asked, bending his head down to hers.

She immediately blushed, “Thank you. You clean up nicely too. I just – I’m so happy you’re here –”

“I know,” his eyes took on a faraway quality, “Please tell me this isn’t a dream.”

“Even if it was, when I woke up, I would just come find you, Draco.”

“ _You would_?”

“Yes, and convince you –”

He stopped her from continuing by kissing her. Her hands tightened on his shoulders and up the collar of his dress robes as he pressed her to him, every breath and touch overpowering her wholly. “Sorry,” he said, voice rough when they broke apart for air, “I just wanted to kiss you so badly –”

“How can you apologize for that?” she asked, blinking away the stars from her eyes. _Fuck, how I am going to get used to this?_

He smiled, pulling her back to him. They continued swaying together until the music changed. 

\----

They were deciding what pastries to try when Draco looked at her questioningly, “Do you – err – want to meet my parents?”

Ari cringed, “Would they want to meet someone they may or may not have just seen kissing their son?”

His whole face lit up as he laughed. _I missed that sound so much –_

She brought her hand up his chest, pulse happily thrumming in her ears. He cocked his head, looking at her with a puzzled expression. She grinned bashfully, “Sorry, I love when you laugh –”

His eyes widened, “You like my laugh?”

“it’s probably a weird thing to say. I just never had the chance to tell you,” her face reddening.

“You’re making it really hard not to kiss you again –” he said, angling his head down towards hers once more.

“Draco, focus,” she said as she intercepted his head with her hands, “Do we need to be on our best behavior for this?”

He grinned, “I don’t think it matters; they’re going to love you either way.”

“ _Really_? There’s no way that could –”

“Draco – you must introduce me to _her_ –” came a voice over Ari’s shoulder. It was a French voice. _Oh god, if this is who I think it is._ It definitely was. She was in a very tiny pink slip dress, the fabric dipping low over her chest. She immediately made her way to Draco, kissing both cheeks, then glared at Ari. He could not look more uncomfortable. Ari had to stifle her grin, attempting to look none the wiser.

“Adele Blanchet, this is Astoria Greengrass.”

“ _Adele_ , it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, delighted with every bit of this interaction.

“Enchante –” Her eyes immediately narrowed, “How long have you both known each other?”

“Since we were children,” Draco said, eyes on Ari, a mildly panicked look on his face.

Ari gleefully grinned at him, then turned to Adele, “You know, Adele, he had this picture book of dragons, and he preferred to read the text? How long have you and Draco known each other?”

She casually responded, “Oh, we just spent last summer together.”

If she was trying to make Ari jealous, it had the opposite effect. “You did? Was it at the manor?” she asked, cocking her head in interest. Draco’s panic was becoming full-fledged, his eyes begging her to stop.

“Yes – we actually met at his fete last year. He’s a very good dancer, don’t you think? Very good with his _hands_ –”

Ari nodded at her earnestly, “Absolutely, he’s _very_ accomplished –”

Draco interjected, “Adele, Astoria needs to meet someone who will be leaving soon. We should catch up later –”

He grabbed Ari’s hand before Adele could retort, pulling her into an empty part of the garden.

Ari was laughing the second they got there. “Oh my god, that’s her?! That was so much fun, I wish Pansy was there –”

“I’m going to get you back, mark my words,” his face screwing up into a scowl.

She beamed evilly up at him. Draco took her face into his hands, kissing the grin off her lips.

\----

“Merlin, I missed _that_ –” Pansy and Ari were staring at each other with twin expressions of joy, ignoring Draco’s protests. Blaise and Daphne completed their circle, both laughing.

“I know! Where were you?” she narrowed her eyes, “Wait, do I want to know?"

She smirked, “Probably not.”

Ari dramatically rolled her eyes just as Theodore appeared, a slight smear of lipstick clearly visible on his neck. She exasperatedly told him, “You have something – on your –”

“Oh?” he touched his neck with his fingers, seeing it come back red. He smirked at Pansy, “I think I’ll keep it –”

 _Oh, for fuck’s sake._ Draco looked mildly disturbed by that statement. Daphne turned a vivid scarlet, and Blaise just started laughing harder. Theodore gestured to their clasped hands, “So – you want to tell us what’s going on between you two?”

They looked at each other, both smiling softly. “We’re –”

“Together –” Ari finished, watching as an ecstatic blush crested over his features.

Pansy interjected, “Fucking finally! Took you guys long enough!”

Blaise turned to Pansy, palm upwards, “Pay up.”

Ari’s expression soured, “You cannot be serious.”

“It was only a small pool…and I lost anyways,” Pansy’s brown eyes had turned into giant saucers of pure innocence. Ari did not buy it for one second.

Turning to her last hope, she asked, “Daphne, please don’t tell me you were in on this too?”

She grinned, shrugging. “Sorry, sis. I believe I should get, 4 galleons, if my math is correct –”

Draco’s hand snaked around Ari’s waist, glaring as he said, “We’ve been betrayed.” There was no denying the happiness in his voice, though.

\-----

“Are you sure you want to meet them? We can do it later; I don’t want to make it –”

“Draco, I want to,” she responded, rubbing the back of his neck reassuringly.

“I’ve never introduced a girl to them like this before, and I hope you’ll like Mother,” his voice had dropped to a nervous murmur, “Even with everything that’s happened, she’s really –”

“People are complicated. I get it. Besides, I know I’ll like her already, she’s your mom,” she whispered back, smiling at him, “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

The party was beginning to wind down. Draco steered her towards a small group of dignified people, his palms beginning to sweat. She knew who his parents were straightaway, they were easily the most glamorous looking people there.

They were both dressed in the same midnight blue color as Draco. Narcissa was in a strapless, figure hugging dress, wearing gloves in the same color that went up to her elbows. Her ice blond hair was pulled into a complicated looking coil at the nape of her neck, tiny, perfectly curled tendrils framing her face, with the bluest eyes Ari had ever seen. Lucius was wearing the same robes as Draco, longer hair pulled away from his face. He had intense, grey eyes that looked almost translucent in the soft light. Every part of him emanated absolute self-confidence. It was exceptionally intimidating, and completely opposite from how he had been that night. 

“Draco, my darling – I was wondering when you would bring her over to us,” Narcissa’s voice called out, melodious and perfectly measured. She kissed Ari’s cheek and winked, “I’m so happy you came to Draco’s fete, Astoria. I’m glad he didn’t monopolize you the entire evening.”

 _Oh, she definitely saw us._ Trying not to blush, Ari told her, “It’s lovely to see you again, Mrs. Malfoy. I almost feel like I’m meeting you again for the first time,” completely awestruck by her aquamarine eyes. _You have no idea how true those words are._

“Please, call me Narcissa. It has been quite a while, you were what – ten when I saw you last? You’ve grown into such a lovely young woman, a fact that hasn’t escaped my son’s notice –”

“M-mother!” Draco stammered, flush breaking out over his cheeks.

“Darling, stop embarrassing him,” Lucius softly chided, smiling. The predatory glint to his teeth gave Ari a slight chill, even in the warm air.

“I don’t get many of these chances, Lucius –”

Lucius interrupted her, hand moving to the small of Narcissa’s back, “How are your parents, Astoria? I am hoping to get to talk to your father soon.”

Draco’s hand squeezed around hers. _I hope it’s not about what I think it is –_ “They’re doing well. They apologize they weren’t able to make it, they’re currently on holiday.”

“I got a postcard from them. I was quite jealous to hear they were spending their summer in the South of France –” Narcissa said, flicking her eyes to Lucius, before they seized back on Ari, “You and Daphne should spend the summer with us at the manor.”

“Are you – are you sure? We’re staying with the Parkinson’s at the moment –”

“Oh! In that case Pansy can join us here as well.”

“Really?” _Is Narcissa her son’s wing-woman? What is happening?_

“Absolutely! I know Draco would love –”

“ _Darling_ –”

She grinned teasingly, “I’ll stop. I must confess I would like to get to know you and Daphne better. And we have more than enough room.”

“I’ll have to ask Daphne and Pansy –” Ari blushed, seeing Draco’s hope filled face, “But I would like that. There were some things in your archive I wanted to look more into, too.”

At this, Narcissa’s eyes grew soft, “Oh, absolutely. Well, it’s settled, then. Think of the manor as your home while you’re here, okay?”

The whole conversation left Ari stunned. As they walked back, Draco whispered back to her, “The whole summer with you here –”

\-----

“ – Draco –” she panted.

“Mmm?”

“ _What are you doing_?”

He nuzzled into her neck, “Trying to get you to stay, is it working?”

They were outside, hidden in the shadow of one of the manor’s walls. Draco was leaned over her, thumbs caressing her back and hips as he leisurely kissed the side of her neck. “Yes – because it would just be so easy to sneak up to your,” she had to keep herself from moaning, “ – _room_ –”

“It is easy,” he whispered, voice low, “And you could stay the night if you wanted.” He nipped at her flesh, sending goosebumps down her spine. “I just want you here, so badly.”

His hands moved down, beginning to palm her butt as he teased out every sensitive spot on her neck and ear. Her mind was going blank, “Wouldn’t we get caught? And I don’t have any – pajamas. This isn’t fair, you have to stop kissing me like – _like_ –”

Ari hazily saw him grinning at her, “Like what?”

“ _Like that_ –”

“We won’t get caught, either.” His hand squeezed around one butt cheek, “And you can wear some of mine –”

She stammered out, _“O– Okay –”_

His euphoric kiss left her with wobbly knees.

\-----

Pansy looked at her, eyes alight, “He does have his own wing, so you don’t exactly have to be quiet –”

Ari glared at her, “It’s really not like that –” as she pulled her hair from her face, a blush steadily creeping up her face, “We want to spend more time together, that’s all –”

She grinned from ear to ear, “You have to be back by nine because I think that’s when my parents will be back. And use protection, okay? There’s a contraception charm, he should know it –”

“ _Pansy_!”

\-----

To his credit, he didn’t lie. The manor was so big, and his rooms on the opposite side of his parents, that it was almost too easy to sneak into. Using a side door that led to the kitchens, they quickly made their way to his bedroom on the second floor, hand glued to the small of her back.

The second he closed the door; they were on top of each other. Ari was fighting her dress to wrap her legs around him as his hands immediately went around her butt, a moan emanating from deep in his throat. She pulled them backwards as she bit on his bottom lip, hoping it was in the general direction of his bed. 

His mouth never lost contact with hers as he picked her up, gently depositing her onto soft bedding. She fuzzily realized she hadn’t even looked around his room but could tell his bed was massive against her back. And _dangerous_. Her hands cupped his jaw as they moved together, till they were fully horizontal on the bed, feet dangling off one side. His weight was supported by his hands on either side of her. Her hands wound their way up his dress shirt, feeling the hard muscle on his stomach. She wanted him _closer_. She made a move to tug his shirt upwards –

“Wait –” He said, pulling away from her, eyes out-of-focus, “Are you sure?”

“I want to see you, Draco, if you want to –”

His eyes instantly dilated. In one fluid motion, he leaned back and pulled his shirt over his head, Ari’s eyes filling with desire. _Holy shit he’s beautiful_. Wiry muscle wrapped itself around his lean pale figure, his torso long and lithe. Her hands made their way from his stomach, up his chest, then making their way back down. “When did you get this good looking?”

He grinned, before his lips made their way back to her mouth, trailing kisses towards her jaw and ear. Her breath came out in uneven gasps as he teased her skin with his tongue and teeth. Ari wondered if he was going to give her a hickey, before she realized she wasn’t being fair –

She took one hand that was rubbing her hip, and slowly brought it up her waist to one of her breasts. He instinctively squeezed through the thin fabric of the dress as he bit down on Ari’s neck with sudden force, causing her to moan. His dazed eyes opened abruptly, recognizing where his hand was.

“Do you not – want to?” she murmured.

“That’s not it at all –” his voice a husky rumble.

“ _Good –”_ She rolled them over, before leaning back till she was straddling his prostrate form, touching the side zipper of her dress. “Is it okay if I –”

He cut her off, a blush creeping up his neck and cheeks, “ _Yes.”_

Her dress pooled around his waist, before she pulled it off entirely. She unclasped her bra, watching as Draco exhaled in a shuddering gasp. His hands encircled her hips. “You’re so beautiful – Ast – _Ari_ – sorry –”

She grinned, blushing, “It’s okay. You think so? I mean, they’re kind of – _small_ –”

“They’re perfect. _You’re perfect_ –” Draco sat up, mouth finding hers with a hungry intensity. His hands travelled up the sides of her ribcage, enveloping her breasts with his square palms. His hands were so big and warm against her chest, causing her to instinctively arch her back into them, take every bit of warmth she could. He squeezed again, groaning hard into her mouth as he began to knead them with his hands.

She moaned back, feeling her nipples instantly harden into his palms. He teased them with his thumbs, just as his mouth moved to that spot just below her ear, pinching the skin between his teeth. “ _Draco –_ ” she whimpered loudly, thrusting her hips into his –

“ _What are you doing to me_ –” he responded, lowering her onto her back. He kissed the hollow of her neck, her collar bone, nipping at her skin, swirling his tongue. His mouth was so _close_ –

He pulled away, eyes a riotous mass of blue and grey, breathing heavily. “ _Ari_ – “

“ _Keep_ _going_ –” she panted back.

He immediately started kissing her again, hands planted on either side of her body, then he groaned in frustration, dropping his head to her shoulder. He hoarsely whispered, “I can’t believe I’m about to say this. If we do – we might not be able to stop ourselves –”

She forced herself to wake up, eyes focusing for the first time in what felt like eons, “I’m sorry, Draco. It just felt so good.”

“I know. Fuck, I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” she said, running her hand up and down the length of his back till their breathing calmed down.

She grinned up at him, “I can’t believe you have more self-control than I do –”

“It was a challenge, let me tell you. I guess, I want _that_ to be special. I want to get to know you again.”

 _Oh –_ “I – I get that. I – feel the same way.”

His eyes made their way up and down Ari’s body. He grinned as he said, “So, were you this gorgeous before, too? “

She flushed beet red, “I actually – I – I look the same.”

His eyes looked suddenly wolfish. “ _Fuck_ –”

She looked off to the side, face completely red now, unable to meet his gaze. She wanted to pull a sheet over herself and hide, “I know. It’s super weird. I’m so sorry about all of this. My age, how we got thrown into this –”

He used one hand to tip her chin back towards him, “I’m not sorry. And you shouldn’t be either. Because it means we got to meet.” He leaned down and kissed her, then rested on his side, “It also doesn’t hurt that you’re incredibly beautiful, and sexy, and currently without a shirt on –”

She glanced down, realizing her chest was in full view, still red from his earlier attention. She squeaked, trying to cover it with her arm. He chuckled, pulling her arm away. “You’re destroying the view –”

“Wait Draco, this isn’t fair to you. None of it is – And it’s not like you got a choice or you wanted this –”

He gently interrupted her, “I choose you. And I need your help.”

“Do you – do you want to talk about what happened?”

He sighed; eyes grave.

\-----

Ari was in one of Draco’s old t-shirts, a sight that he initially seemed to take in with an overjoyed gleam in his eyes, both sitting cross-legged on the bed. Ari was perpendicular to him, listening quietly. She could feel her face growing paler with every word he spoke, mirroring his tense and drawn expression.

“–He has never done anything like that to her before, Pippy has been with us since before I was born. She’s everyone’s favorite. How could he do that to her? Everything’s changed so suddenly –“

She crawled into his lap, wrapping her arms around him. “I’m so, so sorry. Is Pippy okay?”

“I – I think so. I just don’t know what to do –”

“We’ll figure it out together, okay? You’re not alone –”

He tightened his grip on her, “It’s all just as you said, I don’t know why I didn’t believe you. I’ve been so stupid and lost this whole time –”

His breathing was beginning to intensify. She whispered into his shoulder, “You can’t blame yourself, okay?”

“Why not?”

“I don’t blame you, for one –”

His tone turned to disbelief, “How is that possible?”

“Because I understood why.” He regarded her warily, small tears beginning to form at his eyelashes. She wiped away one that was falling down his cheek, then rested her hands on his chest, “Even though I had my reasons, I still lied to you. And what we witnessed is something no one should ever have to see. Your own dad was a part of it. This is your whole world, how were you supposed to know how to be any different when everything you’ve been told is the opposite?”

She pulled him towards her, enfolding him in her arms as he finally started to let go of all the anxiety, self-loathing, and anger he had been carrying. His voice came out in wracking sobs, “I was so alone – and every time I saw you it was like I was cursing myself – I thought about you all the time. I could barely sleep – but I couldn’t tell you – I didn’t know how. I couldn’t even think your name – I hate that I hurt you. I hate what I said. You tried to tell me the whole year and I didn’t listen –”

She rocked him back and forth, softly running her fingers up and down his back until he began to calm down. She ached with how much he hurt. “Hey – hey, shh...” she murmured, “It’s okay –” 

“How?”

“Because you’re here.”

“But all of this time we could – have been together is gone –”

She gently brushed away his tears. “But now we have so much to look forward to, though. We have a lot that’s going to suck, too –” she said, grimacing slightly, then her expression lightened, “I’m so happy I get to be with you now. And I still can’t believe you love me. I feel so incredibly lucky.”

“ _You_ feel lucky?”

“Of course, I do. My boyfriend is fucking Draco Malfoy. Adele will seethe in rage –”

He laughed a little bit at that, then looked into her eyes. “ _Boyfriend_?”

“Yeah –”

He mumbled shyly, “It feels really good to hear you say that.”

“It feels good to say it.” She softly repeated the word “Boyfriend” as she kissed his face, starting with his temples, his eyelids, then his cheeks, until he held her jaw and neck, kissing her once again. It was gentle and bittersweet, colored in with past remembrances of pain, future hopes, and tenderness.

Sometime later, she asked him, “What is it you most want?”

“To be with you.”

“Well you got that –”

He smiled, “I mean, get to know the real _you_ , I guess.”

“What is it you want to know?”

They talked late into the night. She told him about her childhood, about growing up in a small house on a tree-lined street. How her parents both worked full time and didn’t always have time for her, leaving her often lonely. The deliciousness of fresh-baked gooey chocolate chip cookies, and also how horrible high school was. The joy she felt once she finally learned how to drive and got her license. She even told him about Jake, watching Draco’s semi- horrified expression with a grin upon realizing he was exact clone of Harry.

He responded with stories of his own, of what it was like to grow up in a giant house without a lot of friends, learning about the responsibilities of his last name as a small child, of endless private lessons. How intensely he craved his father’s approval. Happier memories too, of how much his mother and Pippy adored him, getting to hold his wand for the first time. How it felt to ride a broom and see Hogwarts below him, the freedom he felt in chasing the snitch. 

They talked till their eyelids were soft and heavy, limbs entwined. They talked till they could no longer ignore the leaden pull of sleep, Ari’s head tucked against his shoulder, perfectly curled into one another. 

\-----

_She was in a large hallway, lined by doors on all sides._

_She opened each one, finding them all empty. The hallway felt endless, she didn’t know what she was looking for._

_She was getting more and more frustrated as she searched, eventually running the length of the hallway towards what she thought could be the end._

_She came to a single blue door. Cautiously turning the handle, she stepped in. It was empty once again._

_As she was turning to leave, a voice called out to her._

_“Ari –” it said insistently._

_She whirled around, trying to find its source._ _“It’s me, Ari.”_

_“It’s Astoria.”_

\-----

> i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
> 
> my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
> 
> i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
> 
> by only me is your doing,my darling)
> 
> i fear
> 
> no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
> 
> no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
> 
> and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
> 
> and whatever a sun will always sing is you
> 
> here is the deepest secret nobody knows
> 
> (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
> 
> and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
> 
> higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
> 
> and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
> 
> i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
> 
> \-- E.E. Cummings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, since I can't help myself, here are the notes on the dresses I used (:D)
> 
> [Ari's dress is a light green version of the incredibly chic slip dress, worn by Kate Moss. ](https://cdn.joelandsonfabrics.com/media/061a7c0ad9f84abaa0ab339493cb7982-530x800.jpg)
> 
> [Adele's dress is a more risque version of the classic Clueless dress that Alicia Silverstone wore. ](https://i.insider.com/5f11ffe25af6cc304307e37d?width=1100&format=jpeg&auto=webp)
> 
> We made it everyone!! I have a lot of emotions, partially because of what's happening in the United States today. I very much hope that the next year and next four years will be a lot kinder to us. It has been an incredible honor and very cathartic for me to write this given how 2020 turned out to be. I am still completely awestruck that you guys would want to read this and cared about the people I created. 
> 
> The next story will be called "your eyes close with my dreams" which is in reference to Pablo Neruda's incredible poem. The first chapter will be released Sunday, February 7th. I hope you will join me, but if not, thank you for joining me for this, and I hope that you have a fantastic 2021. Thank you all so much again <333333

**Author's Note:**

> Endless thanks to Marri, Dee, Jikie, and my boyfriend for helping me conceive, edit, and talking to me incessantly about this.


End file.
